Symbols
by JayCee's RedGold
Summary: In a universe split in two, a peace treaty is made, but what is a treaty without visible support to show the galaxy? The two governments decide to give the galaxy a tangible symbol of peace... an arranged marrage between Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade. OT AU - Repost from TFN's JCF.
1. Chapter 1 - Padawan Skywalker

**Title:** Symbols  
**Genre:** Romance, Angst  
**Characters:** Luke/Mara, Anakin/Padma, Leia/Han, Rogue Squadron, OCs  
**Timeframe:** The original movies didn't happen, as you will see from the first chapter, but this starts, date wise, about when Endor would have happened and then goes on a few years after.

**Summary:** In a universe split in two, a peace treaty is made, but what is a treaty without visible support to show the galaxy? The two governments decide to give the galaxy a tangible symbol of peace...

**NOTE:** This story was originally published on the Jedi Council Forums in March 2010 by my alter-ego, RedGold. It sits there in shambles due to the coding error which truncated the chapters, it is also without a final chapter. I will be posting an updated/edited version here every few days… completely completed. I've given myself that much time to finish the finale.

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**Chapter 1 – Padawan Skywalker**

He stood on the terrace, legs slightly apart, hands behind his back, letting the sun's rays beat down on him as he meditated. Had his eyes been open he would see the beautiful lake that was now his home, but there was no time for that now. It was quite possible that everything would be over soon.

"You have something to say?" he asked her quietly as she was starting to walk away.

"I didn't want to disturb you," she answered softly.

He smiled, "You're never a disturbance, my love."

"You were meditating," she pointed out, coming nearer to stand in front of him.

"There is much to think about," he opened his eyes and realized she had yet to dress for the day, her body still in a soft white sleeping gown that, while it covered everything, only enhanced her beauty.

"Oh, Ani," she reached up and ran her hand down his cheek, "I know that it's the right thing to do, for everyone, but a part of me is... reluctant."

"With good reason," he sighed, remembering the first time they had shared a moment alone on the terrace, her body dressed similarly, so much younger then. "Would we take this away from him?"

"I know," she dipped her head slowly, "but he has never expressed interest in following in your footsteps, in this way at least."

"The Jedi are more important to him," he nodded, "and so is helping those who cannot help themselves."

"He will be doing just that," she sighed and wrapped her arms around him lightly, laying her head on his chest. "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Nothing," he said after a moment. "The Force is strangely quiet."

"Then it's our decision to make," she looked up into his eyes, "as his parents, we have to do what's best for him."

"And as a Jedi and a Senator?" he gazed back into her dark orbs.

"We cannot force him," she gave him no room to edge in an argument.

He kissed her forehead and laid her head back to his chest, "I would never do that to him."

…

"Show off," Luke yelled out good naturedly, watching as his sister levitated the five stones in a pattern above her head. In a mask of Jedi serenity, she stuck her tongue out at him and he couldn't help but laugh.

For Luke, such a feat of levitation would be simple, easy, but he could feel her struggle through the Force. Though they were twins, he seemed to have gained most of the Force sensitivity between them, an interesting occurrence. But Leia was not without her own talents, she was already rivaling their mother's skill in politics.

Given half a chance the Nabooians would have elected Leia their Queen when they were younger, but unfortunately the war and her Jedi studies kept such an option far from attainable.

"Luke," he heard his name called by his mother from across the small field in which they were practicing. "Can you come here please?"

"You okay here, Leia?" he asked, knowing he would be leaving her out there alone.

"I'll be fine," she opened her eyes and smiled, "we're practically adults now, you don't have to worry about me anymore."

"Nineteen doesn't really classify as full adulthood last time I checked," he pointed out.

"Semantics," she waved him off and then winked.

Shaking his head he turned and left her to practice. He was the one who was supposed to be practicing, his trials coming up soon. If he wanted to become a Knight, passing was the only option.

"Mom?" he asked as he entered the large lakeside retreat that had been his family's home since his parents fled Coruscant. Sure, he could reach out and find her location, but then his father would scathe him for unnecessary use of the Force.

Talk about the Wookiee calling the Bothan hairy... but that had been in his father's youth, and it had almost cost the man everything as he dipped towards the Dark Side. Thankfully his mother and Obi-Wan were able to bring him to his senses before things got out of hand.

"Luke," his mother's voice drifted in from the dining room and he followed. When he entered he found a group larger than he was expecting at the dinner table.

Sitting closest to the entrance where he now stood was his mother and father, then his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, his hand stroking his beard in thought. Farther down the table were members of the New Republic High Senate. The Chancellor herself, Mon Mothma was there, as well as her advisors Bail Organa of Alderaan and Tork Ge'reth, a tall, light colored Bothan.

Also seated was two Grand Admirals, Bel'Ibis of Corellia and Madine, a former Imperial turned rebel.

"I didn't realize we were expecting company," he said quietly, and meant it. This was supposed to be a vacation of sorts while the truce was in effect, a time for all families with military ties to be able to take a breath.

"This isn't quite a social call," his father said dryly, then deferred to Mon Mothma who folded her hands on the table in front of her.

"Luke," her voice was soft, but then most Chandrillan's where, "how much do you know of the current peace talks between the New Republic and the Empire?"

"That they are long in coming," he started off safely, then dived in, "and that all of you should be there."

"Yes," she nodded, not taking any notice to his tone of voice, "and we have been discussing several compromises with the Empire's Ruling Council, such as free trade between the borders."

"That's... good," he started to get a wary feeling, not a dangerous one, just a cautious one.

"This means we can trade with the core planets," her face also brightened a bit, "and we can insure that the slavery laws have been lifted on such planets as Mon Calamari."

"Even better," while the laws were supposedly lifted by the Imperial Ruling Council after Emperor Palpatine's death, there was often debate on the Republican side of the galaxy if it truly had any effect.

"About this point," Bel'Ibis broke in, his accented Corellian richly baritone, "you're asking what's in it for the Empire?"

"Crossed my mind," he answered truthfully.

"Similar things," Mon Mothma continued, "trade, technology, bacta. Naboo itself is rich in staple crops which it would benefit from."

He glanced around at the members present, feeling no despair. "Sounds like you think it's a good deal?"

"I've had a chance to look at the draft myself," his mother spoke up, that political look of approval on her face, "it's the best we could hope for considering the fact that the Empire is stronger now than it's ever been."

This was an understatement. When Palpatine had issued Order 66 and his clones did their best to exterminate the Jedi, he destroyed what true opposition he had to forming the Empire and then submitted his will on the galaxy. The few Jedi who survived fled and eventually found their way into the Alliance, a Rebellion against the Empire. Palpatine, however, was too good at what he did and was able to manipulate everything to his advantage.

Then he died suddenly.

The Alliance took their own advantages at this lucky break but was unable to secure the Core worlds where the new Ruling Council of the Empire had taken a stand and kept the government intact. So then the galaxy became split, the Alliance becoming the New Republic on the fringe, the Empire in the core, gaining power day by day. There was a very good chance that they could make a play for the fringe worlds, destroying the Alliance, hence the peace talks to at least compromise between the two governments.

"So?" Luke's eyes landed on every member in the room, "why aren't you signing it right now? Why come here?"

"Luke," Mon Mothma picked up a datapad from beside her and held it up, "would you look over this?"

He was about to go around the table to fetch it but it quickly left her hand and flew into his own, neither of the Masters in the room showing signs that they were the culprits. Ignoring this for the moment, he did as the Chancellor asked and started to read what he realized was the draft of the truce agreement.

And at about the fifth paragraph, sub-article twelve, addendum three, he started to get a headache.

"Don't worry," his father chuckled softly, "I felt the same way."

"Leia would be better at this than I," he sighed, setting it back onto the table. "The writing might as well be in ancient Corellian for all I know."

Mon Mothma sighed, "And that's the condensed, simplified version."

"Oh," he said quietly.

"The average people, even the intelligent ones," the leader of the Alliance leaned back in her chair with another sigh, "they will have trouble understanding it, and things they cannot understand, they fear."

"I know the concept," he tightened his jaw a bit, hatred for the Jedi was still ripe in a few areas where those were afraid of the Jedi simply because they could not understand their abilities.

"If this truce is going to work," she continued, "then we need to have the people behind it."

"And to be behind it," Bail spoke up for the first time, "they need to understand it, have something visible and tangible."

"Yes," she nodded to the Alderanian, then her gaze locked onto Luke's the way only a lifetime politician could, "I might be the Chancellor, but I am no more powerful than those in this room, I simply hold a title that those can relate too, understand. I am more of a symbol of those who govern, not a single ruler."

Luke ended up nodding his head in return, knowing that often people had to focus, reduce the bigger image to a single frame. He did this with the Force, the energy sometimes being too great to comprehend without reducing it something easier to wrap your head around.

"The Senate and the Empire's Ruling Council have decided to give the people a symbol," the Chandrillian pressed, "something to personify this truce, to make it real in the eyes of the people. Something they can understand and get behind."

"And what would make up this symbol?" Luke asked, the wary feelings returning.

"Something traditional," this was his mother's soft words, "something that has been used since the time of the Old Republic."

"They are going to go with the old marriage pact," Anakin said bluntly, shaking his head.

"It is traditional," Mon Mothma seemed to scold his father with her eyes, "the concept of marriage on a wide scale immerged from the tradition of marrying one side to the other, their marriage contract being just that, a contract between the two interested parties."

"I thought we had become civilized?" his father returned, never one to be afraid to butt against authority.

"As a people, yes," she retorted, "but as a society, we still cling to traditions and symbols that are easy to understand."

Anakin let out a sigh that could only be listed as defeat, but Luke wondered if he wasn't already conquered before he came into the room and it was simply his pride that made him save face.

Suddenly, a thought dawned on Luke, "Who's getting married?"

"The Empire has already selected the only real person that they have for this," Mon Mothma turned her eyes towards him again, "the Emperor's granddaughter."

"Jade?" he tried to imagine that firebrand agreeing to this, but then her loyalty to the Empire had never been in question.

"Yes," she paused slightly, "and so we need to provide the groom."

It only took a second for the pieces to fall into place, but he kept quiet, studying each and every one of them as he let them sweat a bit, "Why me?"

"Well," the Chancellor sat up tall in her chair, probably already having this reply worked out in her head, "you are just a year younger than Jade, but more importantly, you are a Jedi, son of the Jedi and Senator that defied the Empire more than any other..."

"And she's the granddaughter of a Sith, the man my family fought against for a decade," he cut in, "the irony is not lost on me Madam Chancellor."

Bel'Ibis laughed, "You're also probably the only one who could handle her."

Luke frowned, ignoring the comment. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Of course you do," his mother said quickly, then sternly, "this council will not force you do to anything. But I do urge you to consider what doing this means, for the galaxy."

So his mom wanted him to do it, his dad had become resigned to it, but at least they weren't going to force him, just push him into it. Curious as to the sentiments of his quiet master, he turned to Kenobi and asked, "What about my training? I am to become a Knight soon."

"There is nothing to say that this has to interfere with your trials," he answered cryptically, "though granted you will probably not be an active member of the Jedi Order, but a member you will be, and you can use your position to the advantage of the Jedi, thus still being a productive member."

Ask a straight question, get a crooked answer.

"You don't have to decide this instance," Mon Mothma added, "we are not due back on Ithor for a few days."

"Empire gave you time to find a groom?" Luke replied dryly.

"Something like that," she nodded.

"You'll have your answer tomorrow," and with that, he dismissed himself. He would receive scolding from his mother about etiquette later, but they couldn't expect him to just smile and nod and jump through this hoop for them without some serious thought to the consequences.

…

Later that night, Luke sat on an old stone bench overlooking the lake his family had taken refuge on. He liked to be alone, just him, nature, and the Force... and now they wanted him to get rid of all that.

"I think you're being just a tad melodramatic there," his sister's voice drifted in behind him.

"Would you stay out of my thoughts," he scolded his twin as she straddled the bench next to him.

She laughed at him, "You're thinking so loudly I'm sure even mom can hear."

"Yeah, well," he mumbled, picking up a blade of grass, "I have a lot to think about."

"Mom told me," Leia replied quietly. "They both want what's best for the galaxy."

"Stop a war," he laughed sarcastically, "marry a shrew."

"She's not a shrew," she scolded, he got a lot of that today. "You've never even met her!"

"But I know of her," letting the grass fall from his hand he looked up at the stars. "You yourself described her as cold."

"Yeah, but that was at that summit," his sister waved it off, "we were still at war then, I probably came off a bit distant myself to the other side."

"Sure," he retorted sharply.

"Is that what this is about?" Leia reached out and laid her hand on his shoulder, "you don't want to marry into the other side?"

"I don't want to marry into any side," he bit out, locking eyes with her. "I want to be a Jedi, to serve the Force, not play a pawn in this political game."

She gave him a decent shove against his shoulder. "How do you know you're not serving the Force by doing this?"

"How possibly could I be doing that?" he blurted out, and then immediately buried his head in his hands. "Shut up."

"The Force will reveal itself when you are ready to accept what it has to say," she quoted his master.

"I said shut up," he replied but with no real malice. "Why me?"

"Because you're the right age," she paused and he buried his head deeper against his fingers knowing what she was about to say, "and you have expressed no interest in furthering the Skywalker name anyway."

"Hey, unlike some persons I could name who spend entirely too much time with, shall we say, questionable ship captains," he alluded to her off and on relationship with the Corellian pilot, Solo, "I spend my time learning to be a Jedi Knight."

"And I'm sure that will keep you warm at night," she stuck his tongue out at him and grinned, but then sobered. "Come on Luke, if you can give me one good reason not to do this, other than you just can't be bothered, then I will go with you to the Senate Council and stand right next to you and fight them off with my fists if I have to."

He sighed...


	2. Chapter 2 - Lady Jade

**Author's Note:** Posts will normally be a day or two in between but as this chapter is a pair to the first, and with such a lovely response of reviews, follows and favs, I thought I'd go ahead and post it. Now we see how Mara takes the news…

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**Chapter 2 – Lady Jade**

"Talk about symbolism again and I am going to rip your symbolic rank bars off your chest and shove them down your not-so-symbolic throat."

"Please, Jade," Imperial Grand Admiral Doruk tapped his fingers impatiently, "we could do without the dramatics."

"Who's being dramatic?" she raised one pert brow in defiance as she took her seat again in front of the Imperial Ruling Council.

"We understand this is perhaps not the best situation for you to be placed in," the Chancellor, a dark skinned Coruscanti named Beddine, ignored her snort at his statement, "but you yourself have been an advocate of organizing a peace between ourselves and the Alliance."

"A peace, yes," she leaned forward in her chair, "but for the safety of our people and to stop the needless losses of resources."

"Not everyone shares your views, Lady Jade," the only non-human on the council, Councillor Fey'la, interjected. "Some still cry out for the destruction of our enemies."

She rolled her eyes, "Me being married to one will hardly make them think twice."

"Your grandfather was more than an Emperor, Jade," Doruk's heavy voice rolled through the room, "and when he passed on, it wasn't so much his death but the loss of what he represented that did the most damage."

As much as she wanted to argue with the older man, she was beginning to feel if this was one battle she was destined to lose. "Why me?"

"Well," Beddine cleared his through, probably choosing his words carefully around her as they were all often to do, "you are the only public figure that we have of a reasonable age for marriage and single. You are also the granddaughter of Palpatine, the Emperor who's existence..."

"Who's existence caused the almost non-existence of the Jedi," she cut in, "one of the major symbols of the Alliance, I learned irony just as well as you, though perhaps your lessons of subtlety were a bit lax."

Doruk laughed, slapping the table heartily, "You might get lucky, with you as the chosen bride-to-be they may just call the whole thing quits."

"Ha, ha." Mara was not amused. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Of course you do," Beddine took back the conversation, "we cannot force anyone to marry without their consent, we simply ask that you consider your loyalty to the Empire."

"My loyalty to the Empire has _never_been in question," she fumed, almost standing up again. Maybe she should walk out on them, that might teach them that she could only be pushed so far.

"No one is questioning your loyalty, Jade," Doruk leaned forward, "in fact, as you say, it has never come into question."

"But as you are currently un-attached," the Chancellor added, "and we know you are just as committed to peace with the Alliance, you really are the best choice for this roll."

Realization dawned on her, "You've already volunteered me for this."

"Well," he cleared his throat again, "we did suggest you as a viable candidate for the marriage pack and they are currently working on a suitable match."

"Suitable match?" her voice squeaked to her dismay. "Who did they choose?"

"Luke Skywalker."

"Skywalker? Anakin Skywalker's son?" she ran the name through her head but was unable to match it to a face in her mind.

"Yes," the Admiral smiled, "he's only a year or so younger than you, and at least has no political motives."

She leaned back in her chair and ground out, "He's a Jedi."

"We can't hold that against the young man," Beddine sighed, tilting his head disapprovingly.

"_We_ might, but _I_sure the sithspawn can," she couldn't take it anymore, this was like one big joke. "After all I have done for the Council, the loyalty I have showed, you do this to me?"

"Jade," Doruk started but she cut him off with a glare.

"No! You will listen for once!" she stood sharply. "When my grandfather died I let you use me like a symbol then. I supported all of you taking over as the Ruling Council, continuing on my grandfather's work, blah, blah, blah, and been there at functions and even given important announcements all because I believed in Peace for this galaxy!"

She took several deep breaths, keeping the demons of the dark at bay. They all knew that she was Force sensitive, strong too, or else Palpatine would have had nothing to do with her. Privately she had vowed never to fall to the darkness because she saw up close the damage that it could do, but at times like this, it was all too tempting and the Council practically trembled in fear before her.

Taking one last deep, calming breath, she finished through gritted teeth, "I owe nothing to this council and yet you ask for more, you ask for my very future. How dare you... how dare you."

"My lady..." Beddine was the first one to gather the courage to speak, "if perhaps you could suggest an alternative?"

The air left her lungs at the realization that they may actually acquiesce to her demands, or was he simply playing the ego card, she was the only one who could once again save the Empire from destruction? Politics sickened her more and more every day.

"You can all go to hell," she kicked her chair away and stiffly turned, her boots clacking hard against the durasteel. "You'll have my answer tomorrow."

…

"You think she'll go for it?" Beddine was the first to speak once Jade left the council chambers.

Doruk couldn't help but laugh hysterically. "She better, seeing as we already signed her up for the job."

"She grows more and more like her grandfather every day," Fey'la grumbled, though of course Doruk knew the Bothan would not have had the guts to stand up to the woman any more than the rest of them.

The Chancellor replied, "There is an air of darkness around her, yes, and if she were to try to take over..."

"She probably wouldn't break a sweat," Doruk shook his head and leaned back his chair. "Palpatine trained her before he died, remember, and he had this whole galaxy under his finger and if not for one miscalculation he would have kept it that way."

"Yes," Fey'la rubbed his chin, "if he could have kept a tighter leash on Anakin Skywalker..."

"That's not what Doruk was referring to," Beddine cut the Bothan off.

"That's all in the past," Admiral Doruk continued, "we have to worry about the here and the now. We want this peace to go through. We grow stronger by the day but we would not be able to hold the Republic if we were to attack it. By the time we are in a position to do so, they will be stronger and perhaps trying to take us over."

"Peace is the ultimate goal here," Beddine nodded his agreement, "but would we risk driving Jade to the darkside?"

Doruk simply shrugged, "Skywalker's a Jedi, maybe he can keep her in line?"

The Coruscanti raised an eyebrow, "You seriously think anyone can keep her line?"

"It was a thought..."

…

When Mara was young, before her grandfather passed on, he presented her with several gifts, not least of which was her own personal Super Star Destroyer. The crew was navel personal but detached from normal Imperial duty and regulations as she had the ship commissioned for 'private use'.

Of course, she could not captain it herself, that was a full time position and she spent most of her days with the Council, helping them sort out their problems, and this is how she was repaid?

"Mara," a voice called from the living room of her quarters. Although she had an official residence at the palace, she preferred to stay on her ship, so after a few renovations she had a full self-contained suite which acted like a private apartment, only one other person had access.

Practically dropping off the bed into a standing position, she made her way out of the bedchamber to greet the captain, "Gilad."

"Maintenance mentioned that you made something of a mess of the Fire's landing struts when you brought her in," he placed his hands behind his back disapprovingly. "It's not like you to treat your ship with such disrespect."

"I'll apologize to her later," she snapped back and headed over to the small bar, "drink?"

"It's too early for that," with brisk steps he was beside her, taking the whiskey bottle from her hand, "what is wrong with you today?"

She glared at him with the harshest daggered eyes, but he didn't even flinch. Sighing, she grabbed a bottle of joba juice, a glass, and moved over to the sitting area. "The Council, that's what's wrong with me today."

"What have they asked of you this time?" he practically groaned the words. When she had been given the ship, Gilad Pellaeon had been the captain and he retained his position throughout the war. Some may have commented that he was avoiding the fighting, they didn't have to baby-sit a younger Jade.

Taking a swig of the juice, "They want me to enter in a marriage pact with Luke Skywalker as part of a symbolism to promote the peace treaty they have cooked up with the Alliance."

"A marriage pact?" his usual stiff posture waved, "They can't be serious."

"Very serious," she gazed into the colors reflected in the glass. "So serious I believe they had already agreed me to it before I was even made aware."

Gilad shook his head, "The Council has asked enough of you, if you don't want to do it, then simply tell them no."

"But can I?" glancing up at him, she sighed, "Everything I have done with my life since the death of my grandfather, it's all been about stopping this damn war. Do I let it all be for nothing simply because I don't want to get married to a stranger?"

"He is a stranger, Mara," the captain walked forward and squatted in front of her. "If you don't feel comfortable then don't do it, simple as that."

"I wish it were that simple," she gave a short laugh and poured herself some more juice. "Some renovations are going to need to be done again. The parlor is large enough to fit a bed and dresser. He's a Jedi so he won't complain too much. Have the dejark table moved to one of the ship's rec rooms."

Her only friend stood sharply, "If you were my daughter I would not let them do this."

"Yes you would," she said quietly, "it would be your duty to the Empire."

"Some things in life must come first Mara... family is one of them."

"We're not family," she bit out. "Don't forget that."

"Noted," he replied.

…

"Okay, here's the deal," Mara managed to corner Beddine in his office, "I will go back with you to Ithor, I will be your symbolic bride, but I want to meet this Skywalker."

"That can easily be arranged," the man nodded and she detected a large sigh of relief in those words.

"Now, if I don't approve, then I'm calling it off," she crossed her arms in defiance, "or they can find someone else."

The Chancellor's eyes widened. "You're not going to reject every single male in the Alliance are you?"

"It was a thought," she smirked, "but no. I am not going to get stuck in a marriage with a man whose mere sight offends me."

"How can someone's mere sight offend you?" he questioned.

"I don't know," she answered sweetly, "but you seem to do it naturally."

"Jade," he admonished, then sighed. "Fine. If you don't like this Skywalker fellow then I'm sure they have plenty of other young males to choose from."

"I'm sure they do," she placed her palms on the man's desk and leaned closer, "and I won't forget this."

"I'm sure you won't," he lifted his chin, "but don't you forget what got us here in the first place."

"I haven't forgotten," she snarled, "but I may be starting to regret it."

"There will finally be peace, Jade," he leaned back in his chair, crossing his fingers, "isn't that what you wanted?"

"That's the only reason I'm doing this, Beddine," she sighed, "but you use me like this again... and I cannot be held responsible for whatever actions I might take… against you specifically."


	3. Chapter 3 - Two Different Things

We've met our two players, now let them meet each other! Thanks so much for reading! :)

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**Chapter 3 – Two Different Things**

"Thank you, Luke," Mon Mothma took Luke's hand and patted it gently. "I know that this is no small favor you are doing for us."

There was a snort in the general direction of his father, Luke ignored it. "Peace is what we've been fighting for my whole life, how could I not?"

"Bless you," she said quietly to him and then let his hand slip from hers. "Right now everything is being kept quiet. We want to reveal the whole situation all at once to the galaxy."

"Yes," his mother agreed from where she sat on the lounger, his father pacing behind her, "it will keep the hassle down to a minimum, it's going to be hard enough on the both of them with the amount of public exposure they will have for the first few months."

_Thanks for reminding me,_Luke thought but had better sense than to speak out loud to his mother. Instead he politely gestured for the Chancellor to take a seat.

Upon arriving on Ithor they were given accommodations quietly and discreetly. They did not want to explain why Senator Nabberie was at the peace treaty negotiations when she was respectfully asked not to attend due to her connections to the Jedi. The Jedi themselves wished to be present but the Imperials were adamant that no Force users were allowed, even if that meant barring their own Lady Jade.

Now they would have three Force users, himself, his father, and Jade. Although, it had never been made clear what kind of training Jade received as a child and no one had seen her use her Force abilities outside a few separate events. In fact, he wondered if Palapatine had bothered to train her at all.

At least they knew enough to know she was not a Sith.

"We will need to work out all the details of the treaty," Mon Mothma continued, "as well as the condensed version. There are also the wedding details as well."

"It's bad enough you're making him marry a complete stranger," his father scoffed, "you want him to parade around like a krayt and bantha show too?"

"Ani," his mother warned with a soothing tone, something she was entirely too good at doing. "This wedding needs to be seen as a symbol to the masses. Everything needs to be right to show them that this peace is serious and good for both sides."

"Yes," Mothma added, "some will not want to accept that the war will be over, we must make them understand that it is."

His father muttered something under his breath then stalked off to stare out the window that rose above the Ithorian forest.

"The Imperial party will be here within the hour," the Chancellor continued, "I have scheduled a meeting three hours from now so that we can confirm agreement of the settlement and start preparations."

"I understand," Luke tilted his head slightly, though suddenly he was finding it just a bit hard to breath, the situation starting to become all too real. "I would like to mediate before the meeting."

"Of course," she smiled at him, though he thought the smile a bit sad, "you may use the southern atrium, it has a peaceful garden, you will not be disturbed."

"Thank you," he turned to his mother and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "I'll be back before the meeting."

She nodded and he didn't bother addressing his father who was full of his own turmoil which he didn't bother to attempt to hide in the Force. As he exited the room and strolled towards the atrium, he considered why his father was taking his arranged marriage harder than he was. Then of course, Anakin had fought to change the Jedi's rules about love and marriage because he married the love of his life, his soul mate in so many words. Perhaps he had wanted this for Luke too.

He sighed, he was not his father. He had no interest in starting a family, only a better understanding of the Force. Perhaps they could go hand in hand, but that didn't mean they had to. Leia was more like their father, he knew how much she adored Captain Solo.

Yes, let Leia live their father's ideal of the Jedi Dream... Luke was going to serve the Force that thrummed through his veins and called him into duty.

Finding the atrium, he was too wound up to relax his mind to anything even close to meditating. Looking around, there was no one else in the open garden and there was plenty of room in the central sitting area. Shrugging out of his robes he was left with just his slacks and a sleeveless shirt.

Taking a deep breath he began his katas, letting the Force flow through him and guide his movements. He may not be able to relax but perhaps he could burn off some of his anxiety.

…

"Welcome to Ithor," Admiral Parck greeted them as they descended the Imperial shuttle. There was only a small company of Stormtroopers standing honor guard for the Imperial High Chancellor, this was a peace treaty negotiation and a full cadre would have been questionable.

"Parck," the Chancellor nodded as he approached, taking the man's hand in greeting. "How are things here?"

"The Alliance party has already arrived and request a meeting with us in two hours," the admiral's eyes glanced over at Mara as she came to a halt next to Beddine, "the Skywalker's are with them."

"So I see we have their answer then," the chancellor commented as they walked towards the hanger bay's entrance.

"Perhaps," Mara muttered to herself, just because they had come didn't mean they had agreed, she hadn't completely agreed to this herself. "Where is Luke Skywalker?"

"Right now?" Parck questioned, perhaps playing dumb. She knew the man, he would know even the smallest movement by any of the enemy camp.

They aren't the enemy anymore though, right. She wanted peace but after so long, it was going to be hard to think of them as anything else.

"Yes," she threw him a glare, "right now."

"He was last spotted in the south atrium," the admiral informed.

She had been here before, at the summit, so she knew the way. "And the meeting will take place?"

"The third level conference chamber," he said slowly, the man never one to miss the obvious.

"I will see you there," she started to break off from the group and although the Chancellor yelled at her she ignored him and so he gave up.

Beddine knew she did not like going into anything at a disadvantage, and right now she felt vulnerable, more so than she would admit to anyone. She had to gain back some control of the situation, putting her would-be husband off guard was exactly what she needed.

A few minutes later she was at the entrance of the south atrium, her steps light and she kept to the sides where the shadows fell. She heard Luke Skywalker before she ever saw him.

In the paved centre of the atrium he was practicing a kata, his arms and legs fluid as he kicked and punched the air in perfect coordination. She recognized the kata as one similar to what she often found herself performing when in need of a little de-stressing. Perhaps they would have at least one thing in common, if only to keep things slightly interesting.

Deciding that sneaking up on her future husband probably wasn't the best way to start things off, even if he was a rebel, she stepped to the middle of the short path and walked up to the edge of the open area. There was a slight jerk in his movements as he noticed her, but he recovered quickly and kept going. He was either ignoring her or using this time to think, either way, she wasn't going to push the issue, she needed a moment herself.

Sitting down on the bench next to where he laid his robe, she watched him more closely. He was fit, there was no doubt about that, the Jedi were religious about an exercise regiment and he knew his katas well. His arms where toned, but not sculpted, the sign of a man who worked hard but didn't suffer from pride or preening.

His hair was a bit shaggy and sandy blonde which surprised her as both his parent's hair were dark. There was no mistaking he was a Skywalker though as when he turned in his kata she got a good look at his face.

Well, at least they hadn't paired her with some bantha faced slob, if he had at least a minor amount of intelligence, then there might even be hope of her not killing him in the first three months for annoying her.

With his kata complete, he straightened up and approached her, allowing her a better view of his face, and most importantly, his eyes. They were the brightest blue she had ever seen, and very alert, wise, intelligent, but then looks can always be deceiving.

"Luke Skywalker," she said it as a statement when he was mere feet from her.

"Lady Jade," he replied evenly, leaning over and retrieving his robes, but only held them over his arm. "Have I missed the meeting?"

"No," she answered automatically, wondering at what he could gain by such a statement? Was he trying to put her off guard? "Why do you ask?"

"I sometimes get lost in the katas," he shrugged, "Master Obi-Wan often chides me for it."

She knew exactly how he felt, she had lost herself in her katas on more than one occasion, but she was not about to play into whatever he was playing at. "No worries this time, the meeting isn't for another hour and a half."

"May I ask why you are here then?" he said without preamble.

Courteous and to the point, she had to respect that, so she gave him a little reward, "I haven't agreed to the marriage yet. I told them I would only strongly consider it."

He tilted his head and his eyes gained a sad tint. "Do either of us really have a choice?"

"We always have a choice," she clenched her teeth, "only those without hope have no choice."

That put him off guard, his eyes blinked rapidly. "You sound like a Jedi."

She stood quickly, her boots clanking on the ground, and with much satisfaction she said, "I learned that from my grandfather."

His brow wrinkled in thought, then he shook his head. "Look at us."

"Excuse me?" she raised one eyebrow.

"We both know we have no choice but to go through with this if we want peace to succeed," he laughed, "but already we are trying to one-up the other, why?"

She opened her mouth to throw out a retort, but the Jedi was right, much to her annoyance, "Because neither of us wants to admit how mad and afraid we are of losing our freedom, our lives?"

"Mad as a krayt and scared as a kitling," he sighed the old proverb.

"Guilty," she whispered back. This Skywalker wasn't a dumb man, rather bright actually, maybe they could both get through this. "Listen, I don't want you to expect anything from me, we're going to be nothing more than glorified roommates. I also don't expect anything from you other than leaving me in peace and I will return the favor."

"That's all I'd ask," he nodded lightly, "and I will continue my Jedi training."

It was her turn to pause and think, she never had much love of the Jedi, their beliefs were at times archaic and too rigid. But if she started placing demands, "Fine, just don't make a habit of spouting Jedi drivel at me."

"It's not drivel," he frowned, but then a small smile broke his lips, "but what drivel I do have, I will keep to myself. And you're right, we're both in this for the same reason, both made the choice, no reason to make it more difficult by being angry and blaming each other."

"Then I guess we're in agreement," she held out her hand to the Jedi, who paused before taking it.

"You're not," he tripped on his words, the first time since the conversation started that he lost some of his confidence, "you're not seeing anyone are you?"

She raised one eyebrow and her eyes couldn't help but widen in shock, "Excuse me?"

"I just," he took a deep breath, "if there is someone you cared about, I wouldn't want to ruin that, there can be some sort of agreement."

"It's okay," she stopped him before his face started to turn red, "there isn't anyone, but thanks for the thought. Is there someone you care about?"

"No," the Jedi answered, "no one."

"Well, Luke Skywalker," she shook his hand firmly once she realized she was still holding it, "I think we might just be able to get out of this with our sanity intact."

…

When he got back to his room he took a quick shower to clean up for the meeting between the two governments. His mother had set out his best Jedi robes on the bed and she was no doubt putting on her most regal outfit.

"You should have seen what she wore when she was queen," his father commented as he entered the small sleeping area.

"I've seen the holos," he murmured back, trying to keep the thoughts in his head straight.

"Word is that you've already met your bride to be," his father sat down at the end of the bed, "you know your mom and Mon Mothma will be in here as soon as they hear."

"Think they will let me get dressed first?" he was belting his trousers and trying to visually locate his undershirt.

"Probably not," Anakin laughed, then paused, "how did it go?"

"I'm not sure," he stopped, starring down at the clothes on the bed before lifting his head, "I thought she was going to be this cold, shrew of a woman."

"And what, she's warm and cuddly?"

He couldn't have stopped himself from laughing at that image, "No, definitely not, but we were at least able to come to an agreement."

"That's good," his father reached out and put his hand on his shoulder, "you don't have to do this."

"And neither does she," he met his father's eyes, "but we both have to, and on that we could agree. We'll make this work for the sake of our governments, for the people. We'll give them hope."

"How can you give hope," the older man sighed, "if you have none of your own?"

"We have hope," he corrected his father, "the hope for peace, that and happiness are two different things."


	4. Chapter 4 - Those Little Details

**Chapter 4 – Those Little Details**

"The Alliance ruling body will be represented by Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Bel I'bis, plus five major senators," his mother sat down her datapad, "not that we have no faith in this treaty, but you can understand our reluctance to have so many of our leaders gathered in one place at a time."

"Of course," the High Chancellor Beddine smiled in that way that politicians do, "you can understand that only a portion of our ruling council will be present."

"I would expect nothing less," Padme returned the smile, "I suggest we finalize the guest list after the announcement is made, that way we can revise it accordingly."

"Yes," the man made a few notes, "very wise, though I think we should keep the amount even. Three council members will be present, myself included, and I will select five appropriate Moff's. And have even numbers of Imperials and Republicans."

"Say, two hundred each side?" the former queen threw out the number, "this does not include family and friends of course."

"I hardly feel that is fair to Lady Jade," Beddine frowned disapprovingly.

"Now you care about what's fair," Jade snorted in response, which did cause Luke to jump slightly as he thought she was paying even less attention to the planning session than he was.

Everything had been going well, now all that was left was for the Alliance and Empire to plan the ceremonies for both the peace treaty and the marriage. His mother had been given the job of planning the wedding ceremony on the Alliance's side and had requested that Luke, Jade, and a representative for the woman set down for an all-inclusive meeting to sort out all those little details. He felt his mother's shock when Jade's representative was the High Chancellor himself, and not one of the others, though of course Padme hide it well.

It made sense though, who else could speak for Jade, it was well known that all her family was dead.

"I have to agree with Chancellor Beddine," Luke interrupted, "I have a rather large extended family, as well as many friends from the temple and flight training. It would be unfair to Lady Jade."

He was trying to be helpful, but she bristled, "I couldn't care if you invited the whole of Naboo, including the Gungans."

Beddine was the first to respond, "I suggest that immediate family only be invited. As for friends, Luke will need a wedding party, groomsmen. They can be selected by himself and as a wedding of this size requires at least five groomsmen, that should cover it. He will of course have to choose only five but I'm sure his friends will understand the delicacy of the situation."

"Agreed," his mother made a note on her datapad, "and of course Mara can select her own bridesmaids. Though there is one issue that will need to be addressed... and that if we are going to perform a traditional ceremony, who will be giving the bride away?"

"Myself, of course," Beddine answered and that caused Mara to sit up in her chair.

"Like hell you will," she barked at him and Luke found it kind of amusing, "you are not giving me away."

"Then who?" the older man tapped his fingers against the table, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. It was one of those well used looks, as if this scene had played out between them one too many times in the past. Luke had been under the impression that Jade and the Council got along quite well.

"Gilad," she answered and that caused the Chancellor to turn in his seat.

"A captain is hardly sufficient rank for such an important role," Beddine shook his head, "no, pick at least a Moff."

"Gilad," she replied stubbornly through clenched teeth and Luke was wondering if this is what he had to look forward to.

"Who is Gilad?" his mother asked, her voice soothing and inquisitive.

"Captain of the Chimaera," Mara answered her, though didn't take her eyes off Beddine, "my personal Star Destroyer."

"Sounds like a very good choice," Padme said diplomatically, "you would not want any of your Moff's or other leaders to feel singled out or neglected."

After a moment, Beddine sighed, "Very well, Captain Pellaeon will do the honor of giving Lady Jade away."

With a smirk of satisfaction, Mara sat relaxed back into the chair as Beddine and his mother worked through more planning of the wedding itself. He watched his future wife as she feigned disinterest but was mentally cataloguing every detail.

It was their wedding but very little input was asked of them. Mostly it consisted of his mother and the Chancellor making sure that no one had the upper hand and both governments were represented as equals. Much of it felt petty to him but his mom never seemed to tire of the constant planning and negotiating.

"That would match the color scheme, yes," his mother agreed to something, his mind had honestly started to drift, "and I believe that would be the best color for the groomsmen."

Beddine's head snapped up, "And the groom?"

"Luke has requested that he wear his Jedi robes," his mother answered for him as if he wasn't even there, however, now was not the time to bring up that annoying habit of hers.

"No," the Chancellor sat down his data pad and sat that much straighter, "that would be entirely disproportionate."

"Luke is a Jedi," Padme's voice was stern, "you knew this when you agreed to his selection as the groomsman. Most of the galaxy knows the Skywalker name, and what they stand for, and the history of the two families. To deny Luke his right to wear his robes on this day would be an insult to him and the Jedi, and insults are what we are here to avoid making."

Beddine squared his shoulders but it was Mara who spoke first, "Hey, if he gets to wear his robes I want to wear my uniform!"

"You will not!" the chancellor snapped, "Military uniforms are out of the question! And, the Jedi robe is a military uniform."

Quickly, before another war started, Luke held up his hand to draw their attention, "Yes, the Jedi robe can be classed as a military uniform since they do answer to the Alliance, but also, we are not bound to them as a military body. It is more of a symbol of our order, of our beliefs, but regardless, I withdraw my request for the sake of simplicity."

"Very wise," the Imperial nodded to him.

"This is not unconditional," he couldn't help but smile, "I will wear my lightsaber, as it is also a symbol of our order."

Tapping his fingers slowly, the Chancellor sighed and said, "Very well. I suggest a typical ceremonial tunic and trousers. Formal cut, medium fabric?"

His mother turned to him, and he nodded, so she replied, "I will get my personal tailor on it as soon as the announcement is made. I think a dark cream would suit Luke's complexion best, with perhaps a burgundy trim."

"That would go well with the color scheme," Beddine added more notes to his datapad.

"I don't want it to clash though," Padme added thoughtfully, "what color will your dress be Mara?"

"Dress?" the young woman blinked.

"Yes," his mother smiled politely, "I assumed that you would at least have an idea of what you would like to wear as your wedding dress."

Mara crinkled her face, "I was hoping to get away with trousers, I don't like dresses."

There was a small chuckle from Beddine who proceeded to rub his forehead. "You will need to for this, Jade. It would do no good if those with grainy holo-transmitters can't determine the bride from the groom."

"You've never thought about what your wedding dress would look like?" his mother asked, covering the curiosity in her voice.

"No," Mara replied pointedly. "I suppose I'll have to get a dress maker too, and fittings. Oh for the love of..." the young woman sank about three feet into her chair.

"I can ask my dress maker, Jesak, to prepare something," Padme offered, "she is very good."

"While normally I might consider that a bit of an edge," Beddine rubbed his chin, "it would be best if the same tailor worked on all the formal wear, it would allow us to keep the symmetry."

"We haven't spoken of catering yet," the former queen pointed out, "perhaps we can handle the clothing, and you the food?"

"Sounds reasonable," he agreed, but then turned to Mara, "You will wear whatever dress is given to you."

She narrowed his eyes at him, but she sighed, "Fine, but nothing foofy, or big, just nice clean lines."

"I will let Jesak know," his mother smiled, "though I am sure you will remind her during your fitting."

"And no big hats," Mara added.

Padme opened her mouth as if to trade an insult, but instead softly said, "You do have lovely hair, I'm sure we can work that in."

"Um," the younger was completely throw which was probably his mother's intention, "thanks."

Luke was beginning to think this was something of a spectator sport, politics. He could see people placing bets on who was going to lose their calm first.

He would bet on Mara, she did not want to be there at the planning session, let alone a part of the wedding at all. But now and again, he would meet her eyes and see in the same resigned fate as she possibly saw in his. So far she hadn't actually directed that much flack towards him. They were in this together but that didn't mean she couldn't make it an uphill battle for everyone else involved.

Once they were done speaking of the ceremony itself, down to the little decorative napkins on the tables, they moved on to 'the rest', that of course being the rest of Luke and Mara's lives.

"While I do not wish to see my child leave," Padme sighed, "I concede that having them live in the Imperial Sector first is the best course of events."

"Mara has a substantial apartment at the Imperial Palace," Beddine pointed out, "we can easily have a wing turned into a self contained living area, with kitchen, refresher, etc."

"I am also making arrangements for living quarters on the Chimera," Mara added.

"We have time to work on the living arrangements for when you live on the Alliance side of the galaxy," his mother made more notes, "how does Naboo sound?"

"I would prefer it," he spoke up, wondering if anyone was even listening to him.

Jade turned her eyes to him, then shrugged, "Sounds fine to me."

"Oh," he decided to add something else while he had their attention, "I would like to bring my x-wing and R2 droid with me as part of my personal effects."

"Do you own the X-Wing?" Beddine raised an eyebrow.

"In a way," he replied carefully, "the Order has their own fleet of X-Wings as you well know. This one was allocated to myself for personal use."

"You can store it on the Chimera," Mara shrugged again.

"I don't think that's wise," the Chancellor added quickly. "Having an Alliance ship in Imperial space without proper clearance, especially on a military vessel."

"Stuff it, Beddine," Mara threw him a glare, "it's my Star Destroyer, it was commissioned for personal use just like his X-Wing, and I pay the crew's own salaries. If I say he can park his ship there then it's my call. You can give him a special transponder code or something if you're going to be so damn fracking paranoid."

"Jade," the man sat down his datapad rather loudly, "some decorum please."

"No," she stood up, knocking her seat over, "we've been at this for hours and hours, with you two nitpicking about the most petty of instances, and frankly, I'm tired of it."

"Um," Luke threw an apologetic look at his mom, "I am in agreement with Lady Jade, even my Jedi training has not prepared me for such an instance as this."

"We could take a break if you wish," his mother added helpfully.

"Or you two can finish this up," she placed her hands on her hips and glared at both the politicians, "we all know that what you set down now, and what will actually happen, are two different things."

Padme and Beddine exchanges glances, and then a mutual sigh of defeat. "The rest of this can be worked out later, as events occur."

"Thank you," Mara gave an exacerbated sigh of relief. "Now if you don't mind, I'll take my leave."

Luke leaned back in his chair and just stared thoughtfully at the woman, she knew what she wanted and made no bones about it. Direct and no prisoners.

"One last item though," Beddine held up his hand as she started to turn to leave.

"And what's that?" she asked impatiently, crossing her arms.

"I want to clear up the matter of the consummation of the marriage," the man said casually, it would be noted later that both Luke and Mara's faces went pale at the comment.

"I think," Padme added quickly, "that the Hapen Rule be in effect."

"Yes," the Chancellor nodded his head and made a note, "Hapen Rule it is."

"Hapen Rule?" Jade asked before he could.

"It comes from the Hapen Consortium," his mother informed them. "Basically, a married couple can have any outside relationships that they wish, as long as said relationships are kept private and do not cause embarrassment to the family."

"And consummation?" his to-be-wife actually managed to say without cracking her voice.

"It is a non-issue," Beddine replied, "as long as the private relationship of the couple is kept private, then it does not matter if consummation occurs, as long as no embarrassment does."

"Sounds good to me then," she turned to him, "you?"

"Yes," he spoke up quickly, "I can live with that."

"Good," she nodded and turned on her heels, "now if you don't mind, cause if you do, I really don't care."

He watched her go and then rubbed his forehead… yeah… this was going to go great…


	5. Chapter 5 - All Dressed Up

**Author's Note:** Merry Christmas!

And just so there is no confusion because I don't state it specifically in the story, but basically when Anakin was given the choice of joining Palpy while Mace was putting the smack down on Palps, Anakin said no. Palps still got away and enacted Order 66 which took out a lot of Jedi and in general turned popular opinion against the Jedi. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Mace, Yoda, etc, managed to escape, Padme didn't die, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 5 – All Dressed Up…**

The announcement came to the galaxy that peace was finally reached between the two governments and that it was serious. Both sides had offered up an important symbol to give to the other.

Luke Skywalker, Jedi, son of Anakin and Padme Skywalker, future of the reformed Jedi Order.

Mara Jade, Imperial Royalty, last living relative of Emperor Palpatine, future of the Empire.

Of course, it was an arranged marriage, no one expected anything from them more than that and their initial news conference to field questions about the situation showed the two to be civil to each other. Mara acted her normal detached but passionate about the Empire self, Luke was stoic, though passionate about the Jedi and Republic. Both could agree that peace between the two governments, an end to the fighting, was worth any 'sacrifice' that may be made by themselves and that all citizens were encouraged to support this peace in any way they could.

The plan worked as well as the governments had hoped with everyone focusing on the fact that if Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade could get along, what with Mara's aggression and Luke's passivism, then perhaps they could too.

Although, the would-be couple rarely saw each other outside their initial meeting, the press conferences, and the organizing sessions. There was still a debate within the circles if these two would be able to get along with each other once it came to co-existing. The New Republic wondered if Mara would kill Luke because he annoyed her too much by being a Jedi... and strangely enough the Empire was thinking the same thing.

Regardless, the two young people knew what was expected of them and that was all that mattered.

On the day of the wedding every journalism media and corporation for both sides were present, dignitaries filtering in from around the galaxy. The treaty had already been signed and policies put into effect but the ceremonial signing would be first in the morning, followed by the marriage.

Padme declined being at the signing as she had the wedding to take care of. She knew Luke would be okay, Anakin was there with him, along with his friends, so she instead walked across the complex to where Mara would be getting ready. They did not have many fittings of the wedding dress and she wanted to make sure that there would be no last minute problems.

There were, of course, a few guard check points to get through, but she eventually made it to Mara's dressing chamber. She knocked softly and the door slid open.

"Yes?" came the young woman's voice in the quiet.

It was entirely too quiet, actually. As she entered, her eyes glanced around to see no one else, no bridesmaids or assistants, nothing. Jade herself was standing in front of a mirror, fiddling with her gloves, already dressed in the creamy white gown that had been made to specification.

Clean lines, nothing foofy, Empire waist with a burgundy sash, though it plunged in front a bit more than Mara apparently felt comfortable with according to Jesak. So the dress maker had a special soft shimmer lace brought in to cover her bare neck and shoulders and spill down her arms and waist.

The effect was actually quite beautiful as the hair dresser mimicked the design by having the young woman's locks curled and also spilled over her shoulders with bits of shimmer woven in. Apparently no extensions where needed, who knew she had so much hair hidden in her usual braid?

"These gloves are too short," Mara mumbled, tugging at them on her fingers.

Padme smiled as she approached, "They are supposed to be that length, they are dress gloves."

"They're impractical," she frowned, starring at them, then shaking her head, "Can I help you?"

"I came to ask the same," the older woman smiled, "I wanted to make sure the dress fitted okay and you had everything. You look lovely."

"Thanks," Mara replied with about as much sincerity as she supposed the woman could muster, seeing as she was in the dress for a semi-forced marriage, not exactly a joyous occasion.

But still, "Where are your bridesmaids?"

"I dunno," the bride shrugged and walked over to her dressing table, pulling the gloves off and tossing them down.

"You don't know?" Padme tried not to sound rude...

"Don't know," she fumbled around with something, "don't care."

This wasn't usual… "Lady Jade?"

"Beddine picked them out," the Imperial turned around and crossed her arms, "some daughters of Moff's or other important people. Don't worry, they are all in the dresses you picked out and will behave themselves."

"That's not what I..." she trailed off, sure, this was an arranged wedding, but that was even more reason for Mara to have friends around her at this time, "didn't you want to have anyone here? Friends?"

"I have Gilad," she shrugged and went back to the table, searching through the makeup for something. "Now if you excuse me, I need to finish up here."

"Of course," she turned to leave, but it didn't take a Force user to know that this wasn't right, no one should be alone like this, "I could stay though, help you with getting ready?"

"I don't need a mother," Jade's hand contracted quickly into a fist, knocking over a few bottles, "now, would you please take your leave?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but instead sighed and continued on her way out of the room. Suddenly, the mystery of Mara Jade was starting to become a bit more clear...

…

"Now, if you are all done having fun at my expense..." Luke shook his head, "can we please move on?"

"Hey," his best man, Corran, laughed at him, "it's your fault we are in these bantha suits in the first place."

He wanted to debate his friend but that wasn't likely to happen any time soon, the Corellian was correct after all. It hadn't taken them long to get ready, it was just a matter of donning their suits, but seeing as they had to wait for the signing ceremony to finish, the grooms party decided to pass the time with a game of sabbac.

"Okay, I call," Wedge Antilles tossed some chips onto the table, Luke had made friends with the pilot while working with the New Republic Navy.

Luke had already folded, knowing he had the worst hand at the table most likely, and so he watched as Wedge and Corran argued the rules, Kam tried to mediate them, Kyle try to sneak some credits out of Solo's pile as the man, being the oldest one in the group, simply laughed.

Watching them like this did make him sad, after all, he would be moving into Imperial territory and wouldn't see his friends, or his other friends back at the Academy, for a long time. Of course, with the peace now, and everything changing, he was likely to have lost some touch with them anyway, but that wasn't the same.

"Luke," his father came up beside him, dressed in his robes. His mother hadn't even tried to talk his father into wearing anything other, especially since the Imperials did not want any Jedi at the signing ceremony. Something about them thinking the Jedi would try to take all the credit...

"Yes, father?" he glanced up at the forced smile on the Jedi Master's face.

"It's almost time," his brow furrowed, "can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course," he excused himself from his still arguing friends and walked towards the small dressing chamber. "Father?"

"You know you can still back out," he said quickly.

"No, I can't," Luke sighed, placing a hand on his father's shoulder, "I have come to accept that this is my path."

"It's just..." the older man started to move and fidget, "I fought for the right of attachment, so Jedi could marry those they love..."

"And Leia will benefit from it," he soothed his father. While Anakin's delve into the dark side had been years in the past, everyone would be lying if they said they didn't consider it when he got like this. "And in a way, I will too. In my new position, I can get farther inside the Empire and also be in a position to help reform."

"Where did you get your idealism from?" Anakin shook his head, "your mother?"

"From you," another voice spoke, Padme had returned from speaking to Jade. "I still remember the wide-eyed kid who believed anything could happen if you simply wished hard enough."

Anakin sighed in defeat, letting her wrap an arm around him. "I can't win when you team up against me."

"We know dear," she smiled up at him and gave him a peck on his cheek.

There was a little ping of something in Luke's stomach as he watched his parents. He had never been in what he'd call a serious relationship with anyone, the Force always coming first. So he firmly believed that he would end up a bachelor to the end of his days, something that in and of itself didn't bother him... but the fact that if he were to come across a woman who made him feel as his father felt about his mother... it could never be... at least... not officially, it would have to be a hidden relationship, much like his parent's had been in the beginning...

"Luke," his mother moved away from Anakin and approached him.

"Yes, mother," he smiled at her, taking in yet another of her trademark outfits, complete with intricate hairdo and massive dress. "You look lovely."

"Thank you," she started to smooth out the lines of his collar, "you are very handsome, this color suits you."

"He's as color blind as I am," his father chuckled.

His mother simply shook her head to hide her smile, "Luke, I want you to do something for me."

"Of course," he nodded to her.

"Be a friend to Mara," she said seriously, "I think she could use one."

He opened his mouth to ask something, but remembering his mother's ability to read people, he gave her a just as serious a smile, "I will."

…

Mara sat at her dressing table, an unopened bottle of Corellia's finest in front of her. She hadn't allowed the council to drive her to serious drink... she supposed she shouldn't let them start now. Besides, it would do no good for her to stumble down the aisle, would it?

Once, long ago, when she was very young, she had thought about getting married, of a wedding day, complete with flowers, bridesmaids, music... of a man who loved her...

Reality was such a harsh thing to someone so young.

There would be no mother to be with her, offer her advice... or a father to walk her down the aisle and threaten the man with glares... she was alone in the galaxy... and it was Palpatine who had made sure of it.

She must have loved her grandfather at some point, that could be the only reason it hurt this much to know that he had betrayed her when she was young. Taken everything away from her and only given her back superficial things.

Of course... no one could know the whole story of what really happened... and she could not blame the Empire for her grandfather's failings.

Under the ruling council, the reforms had cleaned up most of Palpatine's messes. They made the government work like it was supposed to, quick, clean, and efficient. The New Republic Senate was almost as bad as the Old Republic one, nothing but voting this and voting that, arguing this, arguing that. By the time anything was passed it was almost pointless.

So for the sake of everyone in the Empire, she had so many secrets she had to keep, so many dreams she had given up long ago.

She really should have seen this coming...

"Mara," Gilad's voice called gently from the antechamber.

"I'm coming," she sighed, standing, grabbing her gloves and making sure that nothing was out of place, no strand of hair or smudged makeup.

"The _Chimera_ is in orbit for when you are ready to leave," Gilad commented as she approached, "I had the _Fire_brought down so you could leave in it. You'll be given a procession to the Star Destroyer."

"Tell the pilots to get comfortable," she sighed, "the reception is going to be several hours in before they will let me go."

"Or Padawan Skywalker," the older man commented as he took Mara's arm to lead her out into the hall where her bridesmaids waited.

"Oh yeah, him," she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, "has everything been fixed up?"

"Best we could on short notice," they headed down the hall, "we need to get an engineer in, but with the bulkheads, not sure how we are going to fix up the suites."

"Oh well," she fiddled with her gloves, "we'll sort it out."

They reached the entrance hall to the main ballroom where the wedding was to take place, Gilad gave her arm a gentle squeeze, "You going to be okay?"

Mara sighed, "I'll be fine... I always am..."


	6. Chapter 6 - and Nowhere to Go

**Chapter 6 - …and Nowhere to Go**

In a way, Luke envied Mara because she didn't have to stand at the alter like he did, everyone starring at him, taking holo's, talking... it was enough to damage his calm, nerves starting to worm their way through him.

His mother and father sat down in the front row, his sister, aunt and grandmother as well. Despite the fact that the wedding was what it was, they were proud of him today, what he was willing to do for peace. He had wanted his Master to be there as well but he didn't count as 'close family members' according to the Empire and they would only allow Anakin and Leia because they obviously were.

Mentally he sighed, he would be living in a very Anti-Jedi environment... he supposed it would be a test of him being able to live by the Jedi code.

The music played up and everyone quieted down, shifting to get a view of the entrance doors. Slowly they opened and the procession of bridesmaids came forward, all lovely, young and smiling women. His mother had told them that they were just for show, so they were probably the only people in the wedding party who actually wanted to be there... showing themselves off at the event of the decade.

After a minute, the women had taken their place next to where Mara would stand with him and the music changed once more. Moments later, Jade and Captain Pallaeon were at the entrance, starting to make their way forward. The man was dressed in a dark blue suit remnant of his dress uniform.

Luke had met Palleon briefly at the rehearsal, there was a short discussion about getting his X-Wing onto the _Chimera_. Wedge had flown it to Ithor for him so they could then leave for Imperial space after the wedding. Of course, Artoo wasn't too happy about the situation, but it was getting him away from Threepio for a time.

He mentally shook his head and focused, he had a part to play for the galaxy.

Glancing over at his wife-to-be, Luke had to admit, she looked… stunning.

The material was a subtle cream to match his darker cream and burgundy colored suit, and it blended perfectly with her light shade of red hair that shimmered and dazzled in the light. A beautiful lace may have covered the plunge of the dress but it did nothing to hide her feminine shape, one she kept hidden in combat fatigues and uniforms. Who knew she was actually so very well formed?

Her hair framed her face which was done up in natural colors which accented the curve of her cheek bones and lips. There was slight shimmer above her eyes that made the green of them turn vivid and striking.

The whole effect was of course ruined by the smile. A smile that was about as sincere as the one he presented to the crowd of onlookers.

Mara took her place next to his, nodding to Gilad who bowed and stepped away to his position in the front row of the brides side. Luke had noticed earlier that while his front row was full of family members, half of the Imperial Ruling Council was in Mara's lead row.

Luke took Mara's hand as the Ithorian holy man chosen to officiate the ceremony stepped up and began his speech, one carefully crafted out by his mother and Beddine. It emphasized cooperation, commitment, compromising, loyalty... and downplayed love and happiness.

It then came for them to speak their lines...

"I, Luke Skywalker, hereby pledge my life to Mara Jade," he had to slow himself to keep from rambling through, "and I will stand by her side for the futures to come, to offer my strength and comfort through the difficult times, and my support and companionship when our souls are at peace."

Her eyes only widened by a fraction at his change in the dialogue, but she nodded slightly and waited her turn as the Ithorian ignored the obvious.

"I, Mara Jade, hereby pledge my life to Luke Skywalker," her smile may have actually gained some realism to it as she perpetuated his rebellion, "and I will stand by his side, whatever the future may bring, my strength and comfort his when needed, and my support and companionship when needed most."

He could feel his father's approval at them throwing out the pro-government drivel written for them, opting for traditional vows instead. His mother was slightly annoyed, but otherwise accepting, the rest, well, he didn't even dare attempting a scan for fear it would break his concentration on the wedding.

The officiator continued with the last few words about commitment and binding to each other, only one more hoop for them to jump through before they could get to the reception and hopefully end this. The Ithorian informed that they were now a lawfully wedded couple and that he could kiss his bride.

During the rehearsal they had practiced this, just to keep themselves from looking like two mentally disabled fish in front of billions. As he was slightly taller than her, he bent his head down and tilted it to the side, allowing Mara to tilt hers so that the back of her head was facing the crowd, effectively hiding the kiss from view. He gave her a peck on her lips, nothing less chaste than what he would give to his mother or sister on their cheek, and then pulled away.

There was clapping, the audience standing as they turned to face them as husband and wife. He thought he heard a sigh come from Mara, but the noise was enough to deafen even a Jedi. As the music cue cut in, they stepped from the altar and headed down the aisle, smiling and nodding as they went.

Following the hall, they were led back to the antechamber where they stopped, waiting for the rest of the wedding party to filter in, each groomsman with a bridesmaid attached at their arm. It was then he realized he was still holding Mara's, so politely he let go of her, gesturing over to where a table had been set up for the legal side of things.

Picking up the hem of her dress she headed over and rested against the wall, "Pretty gutsy move."

"Yeah, well," he slid his hands into his pockets, but not before adjusting his lightsaber on his hip, "I didn't like their vows, too political."

"It was bit like beating a dead Bantha, wasn't it," she let out a short laugh. "Beddine will be angry, but he'll get over it."

"You know," he looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, "for your leader, you seem to hate the guy a lot."

She raised one eyebrow at him, then shrugged, "Beddine is a good leader where it counts, a brilliant administrator, he's done a lot for the Empire... just his people skills are somewhat... lacking."

"Ah," he nodded, then turned his head as the holy man and an Ithorian civil lawyer approached.

Luke thanked them for the ceremony, trying to be polite. The lawyer produced the galactic marriage flimsiplast forms, accepted on any planet in the galaxy as an official decree of matrimony. Luke and Mara signed it first, his hand not shaking like he was afraid it might do. Gilad and Corran stepped up sign it as witnesses, and then the officiator and lawyer added their signatures.

A quick emboss and chip stamp by the lawyer and the sheets spread into four. One for Luke and Mara, one for the officiator for his records, the lawyer took one as well, and then a fourth original was to be placed in the planetary records office.

Letting out a breath, he was glad that neither of the governments wanted to bother with this part of the ceremony as it didn't seem to offer anything in the way of propaganda. It was merely bureaucratic red-tape. Instead, his mother was setting everything up in the reception hall for the receiving line.

Mara handed Gilad the marriage certificate and asked him to put it on the shuttle for them. The lucky man did not have to stand through the receiving line, so he stepped back and allowed the wedding party to continue on down another hall to the reception area where, of course, they were introduced again as husband and wife and led to an open area for the reception.

First they had to take some quick holos of the whole wedding party posed, and a few with his family, then his friends and family were allowed to leave. For the better part of two hours they stood and greeted each of the members gathered, which was three times as many who was allowed into the ceremony itself. A few respectable holo-reporters had been allowed in and asked a question or two which they answered to the best of their ability.

"Lady Jade," one of the female Bothan reporters asked, "how does it feel to be Mrs Skywalker now?"

His wife tilted her head slightly and raised an eyebrow, "It's Lady Jade-Skywalker, and as for how I feel, my feet hurt and I'm starving. Does that answer your question?"

The reporter straightened her back and stalked off, Luke whispered with a chuckle in his voice, "Well, we're not going to get a good report from her."

"We're not the latest theatre review," she laughed sarcastically, "oh yes, we are, come see the Skywalker and Jade puppet show, advanced tickets available, just remember to leave your sensibility at the door."

Luke continued to chuckle, trying to hold it in but doing a lousy job.

"Something funny?" the next person in line stepped up, Luke recognized him as a reporter from a pro-Republic world on the border.

"Yes," Mara added drolly, "I'm single handily winning over the Republic with my dry wit."

Taking a deep breath to calm his mirth, he shook the man's hand while gesturing to Mara with his eyes, "She's rather devious actually, she's going to make me laugh to death and claim it as accident. All as an excuse to never wear anything but black ever again."

She glance at him thoughtfully, "You know, that might work, how much life insurance do you think I can claim on you right now?"

Luke let out a genuine laugh, which was lost in the noise of the hall. Mara smiled, though quickly squashed it, but he could feel some tension leave her. Their eyes met and an understanding came between them, might as well make light of the situation, otherwise go crazy.

"Sorry," Luke turned back to the man who was also smiling.

"No worries son," he patted Luke's shoulder, then with a nod headed off without even asking a question.

Soon the line was complete and they were allowed to sit for the dinner. Most of the tables were circular, but the main table was straight and sat towards the back, slightly raised. Luke and Mara were in the middle seats, Corran next to him, followed by the other groomsmen. His parents and family had their own table off to the side where he could see them. It was accepted to forgo any speeches, after all, what could Corran say in a traditional best-man's speech?

The food came and he chatted with Corran and Wedge as they were closest to him, passing the time quickly. Luke glanced over and saw Mara sitting, watching her food carefully, lost in thought. Peering over her head, the bridesmaids talked among themselves but pretty much ignored the bride, though she didn't seem to make any movement to join their discussions.

"Hey," he nudged her slightly, "how's the food?"

"Not bad actually," she mumbled, putting her fork down and sitting up straighter. "Think they will let us leave yet?"

"I doubt it," he sighed, "We have to mingle first."

"Wasn't that what we were doing for the past few hours?" she frowned.

He rubbed his chin, "Probably, but I don't think it counts."

"Lovely," she tapped her fingers on the table for a moment, then glanced out over the massive reception area and all those settled for dinner. "It's all so surreal."

"Yeah," he whispered in return. "Whatever happens, we're in this together."

She slowly turned her head towards him, "I guess we are..."

…

Finally they were able to leave the table and while they were supposed to mingle, she decided to escape instead, avoiding as much conversations as possible with as many people as possible.

Luke at least was managing to be a good sport about everything and it did ire her to think that most of his understanding came from his Jedi training, but still...

"I don't get them," she asked him as they both thankfully moved away from some senators who had wished to speak to both of them.

"The senators?" Luke looked back over his shoulder.

"No, them," sullenly she pointed to where his friends stood. "For Jedi, you are all, well..."

"Normal?" he ventured.

"I was going to say slightly less annoying than I thought you'd be," she said dryly, "but I suppose that is a good enough term as any."

"You can thank my father for that," he gestured for her to sit at a nearby table.

"How much truth is there in the stories?" she asked carefully as she sat, Luke taking the seat next to her.

"I'll," he paused, his head dipping down for a second before looking up again, "I'll have to tell you about it sometime, when we're not both tired and surrounded by all this..."

"Of course," she replied softly, trying to cover her surprise that Luke would be forthcoming at all about his father and the Jedi. She had heard that Anakin Skywalker was a reformer, the obvious evidence being that of his marriage to Padme Nabberie, but there was more to this tale and her curiosity was now peaked.

"Luke," they both turned to greet his approaching sister, the Corellian pilot Solo on her arm, looking about as comfortable in his suit as Mara did in her dress, "mom wanted me to tell you that is probably safe now to leave if you two wanted too."

"Yeah, kid," Solo added with a drawl, "this krayt and bantha show keeps going on like this and it can only end one way, bloodshed."

Luke snickered and Mara blinked, heartily agreeing with the man.

"So, what do you say," his sister didn't even bat an eye, "we skip the 'closing ceremonies' and let you two get on with sorting your lives out."

…

Three distractions later and Luke and Mara managed to get out of the reception and into the hanger bay where Mara's personal ship was waiting with a succession of TIE Fighters to escort them to her personal Star Destroyer. Luke hadn't really thought about that... his wife had her own Star Destroyer... hers...

Shaking his head, he made sure he kept up with her as they approached a gentleman with flight commander symbols on his uniform. He spoke to Mara like one would a commanding officer and she replied just as crisply. As they discussed getting the hell out of there, her words, he felt a tremor in the Force and turned to see his Jedi Master standing off to the side of the hanger.

"Excuse me," he touched Mara on the shoulder to get her attention.

She turned her head sharply in annoyance, but then noticed the older man and nodded, "It'll be a few minutes before takeoff."

"I'll be right back," with that he quickly jogged over to where his master stood, and greeted him. "I'm sorry you were excluded from everything, Master. I would have liked you to have been there."

"You seem to have fared just well without me," Kenobi smile, one hand rubbing his beard as his eyes glanced over to Jade then back to him, "and you seem to get along well with Jade."

"We're both victims here, I guess," he shrugged, "no point in letting our annoyance or anger out on each other, what would it solve or prove?"

"Very wise," his master nodded and then stood a bit straighter, "Luke, I have spoken with the council and we have come to a decision."

"Yes..." he replied slowly.

"Normally, one's trials are placed in front of the individual by their master, but sometimes," the older man smiled, "the Force has its own design and creates the trials for the padawan to face."

"Master?" he questioned, daring to think what was about to be said.

"The Force has placed this obstacle in your path, and you have accepted it with grace, calm, and serenity," Obi-Wan placed his hands on Luke's shoulders, "feel, and you will know it to be true, you are a Knight."

Closing his eyes, Luke let the Force flow freely through him, letting it take away all the tension and stress from the day's events and invigorate him. And there, before him, he felt the changes in the Force around him, the deeper understanding that comes when a soul is at peace.

In the distance, he could feel his father acknowledge what he felt and his pride soared through him.

"Luke," his wife's voice came from across the hanger.

"Be right there," he called back, then turned to Obi-Wan, "Thank you, I will always follow the Force and let it guide me and my actions."

"I know you will, Luke," the master patted his shoulder in farewell, his eyes glancing over his shoulder to Jade, "and between you and me, I think your trials are only just beginning."


	7. Chapter 7 - The Wedding Night

**Author's Note:** I just want to take this moment to say thank you all my readers! You are the reason this story got wrote and the reason it will be finished! Keep on keeping on!

And as a side note, today I was watching _Merlin_ and I thought to myself "Bradley James (aka King Arthur) would make a great descendent of either Luke or Leia in Episode VII." Who's with me on that?'

* * *

**Chapter 7 – The Wedding Night**

"Now, I imagine you'll spend most of your time planet bound while at Imperial Centre," Mara spoke as they walked down one of the long white corridors of the Star Destroyer. It occurred to him that while he had seen pictures of the ships, inside and out, he had never actually been on one. He would have to do some exploring later, that is, if he was permitted to.

"But when you are on the _Chimera,"_ she continued as they stopped in front of a non-descript door, "you'll be staying here."

She tapped at the control pad, your typical but very advanced bio-lock. A few taps later and the panel glowed blue signaling that it was ready to receive another bio-indicator. With little prompting he placed his hand on the panel and pushed firmly till the lock took and the panel glowed green.

"Only you, myself, and Gilad have access," the door slid open and she gestured inside, "welcome to my room."

As he stepped in, it was as if he had entered a modest sized home. There was an entry way that led into a living space, fully decked out with chairs, bar, holovid, and from there several arches and hallways to various other rooms, at least one an office that he could see. The only thing missing was windows...

"Whoa," he stopped himself short of letting out a whistle. "This doesn't come standard."

"It doesn't," she walked towards the bar, "had this place redone years ago, took engineers a few months to do it, getting around all the cables, bulkheads, etc. Drink?"

"No, thank you," he started to walk around, trying to peak at the other rooms.

"This is my home," Jade had poured herself one and drowned it quickly, "Imperial Centre is more of a place to stay, if you understand that."

"I do," he turned back towards her, a thought clicking into place, "so wait, this is yours? Where do I stay."

"Here," she moved away from the bar and across the living space to a short hall and stopped at one of the doors that seemed a bit out of place. She clicked the panel and it opened up to reveal a bedroom with a small but comfy looking bed, dresser and wardrobe, and nothing else except his travel luggage piled next to the bed. "It used to be the game room, we had to install a door for your privacy, and knock one into the secondary 'fresher," she gestured to another door next to the wardrobe, "it will be your 'fresher, but sorry, only a sonic shower. We need to get engineers in for a complete overhaul to get running water in there."

"It's great," he smiled at her thoughtfulness, "thank you."

"Yeah, well," she turned away and headed back into the living space. "If you're not going to spend much time here, not sure I should even bother getting it redone."

"I'm not sure myself," sighing, he looked at her and let some of his vulnerability show through, "I'm not even sure what I'm going to do with myself, actually."

"I'm sorry?" she questioned.

Shaking his head lightly, "I'm a Jedi Knight, and I can't be a Knight in the Empire... not with all the prejudice. And as a symbol of this peace... I don't even know where to begin with that."

"I'm sorry," this time it was a softly spoken statement.

Quiet passed between them for more than a few minutes, Mara to break it first, "Listen, I'll show you the rest of the place, and then if you want, you can borrow my water shower. It's been a long day, for both of us."

"Thank you," he gave her a soft smile.

"Not a problem," she turned and gestured for him to follow, showing him the rest of their shared apartment.

…

Mara sat on the end of her bed, she had removed her wedding dress and hung it up on the side of her wardrobe, now she only wore a pair of casual pants and a loose tunic, her hair pulled up in a tie but still cascading down her back.

She didn't really know what to expect now that it was done and over with. A part of her had hoped that she could just chuck him off at Imperial Centre and not have to see him again until they had to. But she had a mission to promote the peace she had longed for, make sure it stuck. She had made a vow so long ago and had feared she would have to break it but now she had a chance to set everything right.

But her husband's comments on prejudice almost scared her, surely it was an exaggeration...

Sighing she stood and walked to the comm unit, a voice answered immediately, "Laundry, how can I help you Lady Jade?"

"Tag, I will be sending you my wedding dress," she eyed it again, all the delicate lace, "I want it cleaned and packaged for long storage."

"We'll take care of it," she could almost imagine the man nodding to the comm unit, "oh, about Jedi Skywalker, will he be using our services or your personal launder set?"

When she redecorated she had a laundry machine put in so she could do her own clothes, she didn't really like sending out everything to the service except those items which needed special care. As for her husband, "He can either wash his own or send them to you, I'll let him decide."

"Yes ma'am," and with that the connection was cut.

She heard the water shut in the shower and as she waited she grabbed a data pad and brought up a map of the Imperial controlled regions then sat back down on the bed. A few minutes later, Luke emerged wearing much the same as she did, a towel in his right hand which he had made into a bag to hold his cleansers.

When he noticed her sitting cross-legged on the bed, he gave her a polite smile, "Thanks for the shower."

"Don't get used to it," she drolled, looking over the edge of the datapad, then sitting it in her lap to study him. "Do you really think the whole of the Empire is so prejudice against Jedi that you don't think you'll get a fair shake?"

He regarded her silently, before nodding his head, "If those who run it are anything to go by, then yes."

"I have no love for the Jedi, their teachings are archaic and they are forever getting involved in ways they shouldn't," even as she said the words she realized how they must sound, "but I am Force user as well, I have a right to feel this away if I choose to."

"Yes, perhaps you do," he sighed, "but what about the Ruling Council?"

"They are our political leaders," she argued, "if the Jedi are going to take opposite sides, then they are a threat to be considered."

"To be considered," he held up his hand, "but hate?"

"They don't hate Jedi..." her voice trailed off, suddenly unsure, "and even if they did, the average population won't care."

"Are you sure about that?" he crossed his arms now, "How many still remember what your Grandfather did, the propaganda war against the Jedi, Order 66, all of that? I may not be stoned the moment I step foot on Imperial Centre, but every avenue possibly available to me will be closed."

He sighed, rubbing his head. Fears started to worm through her about her own reception in the New Republic. She was Palpatine's granddaughter, a major figure in the Empire and a Sith, an order which left some deep scars from the past. She really didn't care what the NR groupies thought of her, but it still stung that she could be hated for little better reason than that.

"You know," he continued, "I think I will spend the time to focus on my meditation skills."

"You mean hide," she countered.

Shrugging, "What else is there for me to do? You yourself just want to abandon me there."

"I..." she was about to argue it but he was right. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he started to leave, "thanks again for the shower."

"Wait," throwing her feet over the side of the bed, "I really am sorry. I told you we were in this together, and I meant it... just..."

"Old habits die hard?" he ventured.

"Exactly," she lifted her datapad, "but I have an idea."

"I'm listening," his interest peaked, she gestured for him to take a seat on the bed with her and as he did she noticed how polite he was about it, making sure to sit a respectful distance. She might have thought the gesture cute if she let herself think such things.

"Well," she turned the datapad around where he could see the map she had brought up, "we can kill a lot of time by taking a tour of the Empire."

He looked carefully at the map, then tilted his head to the side, "A tour? That is a very good idea. I'm surprised mom didn't think of it."

"Or Beddine," she nodded, "we can 'spread the symbol of peace' and also look into the prejudice issue."

"I can also make sure that the Calamari Proclamation was put into full effect," he rubbed his chin.

She sat up straighter, "What, you think we lied about that?"

"Um," his face went screwy, "is there an answer I can give that would be honest and not start a fight between us?"

After a moment of considering yelling at him, she sighed, "Fine, I can always say told you so later."

"I have no doubt," he chuckled. "So, where do we start?"

"I've seen it all," she shrugged, handing him the datapad, "you pick."

"Me?" he didn't seem too keen on the idea, probably because there was a lot to choose from.

"Good luck with it," she patted his shoulder as she stood, "I'm going to take my shower."

"Gee, thanks," he rolled his eyes, then sat the datapad down, "do you have any bigger maps?"

"There are some holo's and flimsi's," she pulled out night clothes from her dresser, then pointed to the comm, "ask nav, 1.0098, they'll send them up."

"Okay, will do," he moved off her bed and headed for the station as she disappeared into the 'fresher to take her shower.

It was odd, being in the room after someone else, items moved slightly aside to have made room for his, the mirrors moist with condensation.

It was never the big things that you noticed, they were always too obvious... it was the small, insignificant things that made Mara stand back and realize that this was all real... that man in there was her husband... and tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of their lives together.

…

"Thank you," Luke smiled at the young nav officer who brought the flimsi's up for him. He glanced at the man's rank bars, trying to remember the Imperial ranking system, "Corporal."

"Landis," the man nodded and regarded him slowly. "So, you're Skywalker?"

"I suppose I am," he replied good naturedly, after all, Landis could have used less polite words.

"Can I trust you, as a Jedi, to tell you something you won't repeat?" seriousness clouded the man's eyes.

"Of course," he stood a little straighter, showing that all his attention was on the man.

"Captain won't say anything cause that's how he is, but the word is all over the ship," the man looked past him as if to check no one could overhear, "every member of this crew owes Lady Jade, she gave many of us second chances, and for some this was our last chance. She's taken care of our families, she's... done more for us than we could possibly ever do for her."

"I didn't know," he whispered, running this revelation through his head.

"Of course you wouldn't," the man stepped closer, "and frankly we don't think it's fair what the Council has asked of her, putting her through this marriage thing, but there isn't a damn site we can do about it. But if you do anything to hurt Lady Jade... well... accidents happen… even to Jedi. Do well to remember that."

Momentarily stunned, he stole back his voice, "I would never hurt her, I am about as happy with the situation as she is."

The man shrugged, "Just wanted to set the record straight that any one of this crew would die for her, or kill for her, if that is required. Figured you deserved that much warning."

"I understand," he nodded and Landis gave him a half-salute before heading back down the hall.

…

It was several minutes later, Luke staring down at the maps which were laid across the dining room table, that Mara appeared clad in a similar casual slacks and shirt from earlier. Her hair was still wet and it lay limply across her shoulders.

"So," she looked across items strewn on the table, "where are we heading?"

"It's just a bit out of our way," he brought her attention to a point on the map, "but I would like to start with Mon Calamari. Should only be a few days from Coruscant, then we can loop around through these planets on our way back."

"Hhhmmmm," she watched as he traced an invisible line from planet to planet. "Can't see why not. How long do you want to spend per planet?"

He shrugged, "I'm not sure, we can play it by ear."

"Okay," nodding, she picked up a datapad and started to tap at it, "I'll get this to Gilad to have hi-eem seaaaaa..."

Luke gave her a bemused look as she tried to yawn out the last few words, "Sleepy?"

"Yeah..." she gave a pained smile, "long day."

"Very long," he agreed, rubbing his neck, "I think I'll head to bed."

"Good idea," she laid the datapad down, "I'll take care of this in the morning."

"What time do you get up?" he was starting to feel awkward. He'd slept in barracks but never stayed over at the home of someone he barely knew, but it was his home too now. He wasn't sure which thought made him more uneasy.

"06:00 standard," she glanced over at the clock, "but I think I'll sleep in tomorrow..."

"I don't blame you," he nodded, but the awkwardness had spread to her now and they both stood on opposite sides of her dining room table, trying not to look at each other and wanting to run but knowing it would be rude.

"Well," Mara finally broke the silence with a laugh, "not exactly what I would have envisioned my wedding night to be like..."

"Same," he shrugged his shoulders, then shook his head, "No point in being sentimental I guess, I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah," she let him walk away first.


	8. Chapter 8 - Pomp with Circumstance

**Author's Note:** Once again, thank you all for reading!

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**Chapter 8 – Pomp with Circumstance**

"You really think it's wise to go out dressed like that?" Jade gave him a bemused look and he straightened his robes without thinking.

"It's what Jedi wear," Luke replied sourly, gesturing to her uniform jacket, "how is what you're wearing any different?"

She put hands on her hips, "How about since I hold the rank of Admiral in the Imperial Navy, I'm Imperial royalty, this is an Imperial loyalist planet… oh, and no one likes Jedi."

If it wasn't for the fact that her words were spoken less like sarcastic insults and more like the honest truth, he might have gotten angry. "That last part is surely melodramatic?"

"Not really," she shrugged, "Jedi make people fell judged, and no one wants that."

"We do not!" Luke almost grimaced at the pitch of his voice. "Just because we are the Guardians of Truth and Justice in the galaxy doesn't mean other beings have to feel judged by us."

She raised both eyebrows and gave him a blank look. "Seriously?"

"I'm not going to hide who I am and the galaxy needs to learn that the Jedi are not a force to be feared, only respected," he almost sighed the words, "but maybe I ask for too much too soon."

"Maybe," she gave a bit of a smirk which he decided to ignore. Four days they had been together and he already learned her sense of humor was decidedly satirical and sarcastic. It was best to try not to figure it out and just move on.

"I'll be right back," he moved out of the main parlor towards his bedroom.

It was smaller than his room back at the Academy but he didn't have to share it with anyone and it was comfortable, so he couldn't really argue. The sheets were high quality and the mattress too, the furniture stable, not cheap and flimsy. It was almost like living in a hotel room, especially as it had a feel of temporariness to it.

Opting for a nice tunic and pants, Luke clipped the lightsaber to his belt and headed back into the main living quarters.

"Mara?" he called out as he had expected her to be right there waiting for him, a triumphant grin on her face.

"One sec!" she shouted from her room. Moments later she immerged, having taken off her formal dress jacket and thrown on what he could only describe as a stylized flak jacket. It had the pockets, zippers and flaps, but the fabric was of a high quality bantha hide and fitted to her size and curves. A patch bearing the Imperial seal was embroidered into the shoulder of the right sleeve.

"You changed?" was all he could think to say.

"Well," she put her hands on her hips, "good to see your powers of observation are highly acute, being a Jedi and all."

"Um," he scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks."

"I didn't do this for you," Mara crossed her arms, "I didn't want to look stupid all dressed up with you looking like a peasant."

He blinked a couple of times, "A peasant?"

She laughed, taking a few steps closer to him till she was barely two hand widths away. "If you don't grow a thicker skin, you'll never make it over here."

Peering into her green orbs, "Why do the Imperials have to be so…? Why can't you just-"

"Be all light and airy?" she rolled her eyes and stepped back. "You New Republic guys might believe in sacrifice for freedom, but over here, freedom is sacrifice. We work for everything given to us."

"Says the Royal with her own Star Destroyer," he smarted back, regretting his words as soon as her eyes met his again, a burning flame buried within.

"Trust me," there was a drip of hatred and sorrow to her voice, "I earned everything given to me."

Before Luke could even come up with something to say in return, the door buzzed, it was time to head down to the planet.

"Come _husband_," she turned sharply and walked away from him, "our public awaits."

Luke could only stand there, a slightly confused look on his face.

…

Everyone had seen pictures of Mon Calamari, the beautiful panorama's of setting suns and coral reefs were a staple among homes, hotels, and offices everywhere. Before the Empire, the planet was _the_tourist destination, even those on the rim would save up their credits in order to visit the water world.

But once Palpatine decided to subjugate the planet, it was still the place to be, if you were one of the rich and favored of the Emperor. Thankfully, the new régime elected to keep the planet as picturesque as nature intended it be, they were, however, less inclined towards the planet's inhabitants.

After Palpatine's death, the Calamari Proclamation was passed by the council. This released the Calamarians from their enslavement and set forth a schedule for returning much provincial control back over. The Empire understood that simply freeing them in one swoop without thought to how that would affect the production of not just exports, but basic food stuffs, would be problematic at best. So a five year plan was devised in order to free all Calamarian's, return lands, and ensure that the planet did not fall into poverty or hunger.

Calamari would still, of course, be part of the Empire and would be subject to its laws with an Imperial Governor, but it would be free, comparatively speaking.

The New Republic would have preferred no Imperial influence at all and a quicker change over, but were satisfied with the terms of the Proclamation and its consideration towards the Calamarians. Of course, the citizens of the New Republic had no true way of knowing how well the Empire had enforced the Proclamation. Well, they couldn't admit to anything publically seeing as a copious amount of spying was required to find out.

Luke had no way of knowing that New Republic Intelligence had a detailed report of exactly how well the Empire had lived up to their promise, and that his mother had been one of the first to read it. He, like many New Republicans, was still wary of what might be found on the planet. His plan was to be a public eye witness to changes, or lack thereof, and to send that information back home… that is, if he could stop staring at the landscape.

"Beautiful, huh?" he hadn't even heard Mara approach behind him, her footfalls light on the sand.

He drew in a long breath of the sea air, "And I thought Naboo and Tatooine had spectacular sunsets."

"You'll have to show me," he could hear the smirk in her voice, "but I'll stay unconvinced for now."

Unable to argue the point with the sea swirling every color, no, every spectrum of every color as the sun sat largely on the horizon, he simply made a humming sound of agreement and continued to stare.

"I used to spend my summer's here," she spoke seemingly immune to the paralyzing beauty. "One of the reasons I helped to push through the Proclamation. I could understand the reasoning for the subjugation, but it wasn't right, I couldn't make it fit in my mind, it didn't make sense."

That got his attention and he turned his face to ask her a question, but as soon as his eyes laid on her he forgot how to speak. The colors reflected off her porcelain skin giving her an ethereal shimmer, all the slight tints of her hair magnified tenfold. Mara literally glowed.

She met his eyes and smiled at him, "I'm not as heartless as you think I am."

"I…" he stammered because, not for the first time, he was taken aback by how beautiful the Lady Jade was. Had this been another time, another place, and another circumstance, he likely would be enamored with her, trying to be one of her many suitors. But a tough, sassy woman like her, his friend Kyle would likely have a better chance at getting anywhere with Jade, a thought that was slightly more than amusing to him.

"It's okay," she continued, misunderstanding his reluctance, "my reputation has its purpose. You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

"I…" Luke tried again, letting the mirth filter to his features, "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good," she smiled again and he wondered if this was a dream but he brushed the thought aside, "this is the best part."

At her prompting he turned his eyes back to the sun which was about to completely fall beyond the horizon. When it did the sea became an inferno of color that spread across the waves and he forgot to breath.

Finally the spell broke as the last of the light filtered into dusk and he turned back to his wife, only to find that she was no longer standing there. He curiously wondered if he had dreamed everything, but as quiet as her steps were, she left tracks in the sand.

…

On the third day of their visit to the planet, the Imperial Governor, a Corsucanti native named Torus Latten, invited them to a state dinner. Actually, Lady Jade was invited, Luke was simply named 'and escort'.

Due to the formality of the event, he opted for a dark blue dinner jacket common to Naboo's upper class, his mother made sure he had several formal pieces before he left. Jade had opted for a simple full length black dress, it fell on her in layers and the straps was actually gathered material laying clipped together with dark blue gem accents. The back was draped showing her shoulder blades, but her curled hair cascaded and kept her modest.

She carried herself regally, but he could tell she was comfortable in her dress as he was in his jacket.

"Lady Jade," Latten bowed deeply as they entered the receiving hall of the grand Governor's palace.

Luke could say one thing for the Empire, they never did things small and simply, the building was built to all the standards of Corsucanti architecture. As utilitarian as their society could be at times, they never could get over the wanton desire to build large vaulted ceilings, intricacy carved moldings, and hand painted murals.

"Governor Latten," Jade replied with a bow much less than the one she received as befitting her status much higher on the Imperial pecking order than a simple Governor. "My husband, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker."

A small part of Luke had wondered if he would receive an Imperial title, like Lord Skywalker, since he was married to Lady Jade, but smartly he kept such thoughts to himself.

"Knight Skywalker," the slightly bulbous man quickly corrected and bowed, though not as deeply.

"Governor Latten," he responded with a nod of his head as he wasn't entirely sure of Imperial etiquette or his place in it. Thankfully he didn't seem to create any faux pas and the group was lead into an opulent dining area and sat down to dine with the Governor's high ranking staff and the Deputy Governor, Wilhem Porvu.

The conversation was mostly Latten speaking about the different programs currently underway. Most of it was typical public projects, hospitals and schools. It wasn't lost on Luke that the Governor had to defer perhaps a little too often to his aids on details of the projects to answer Jade's questions. He supposed that the man was too busy to keep all the facts in his head, but that was a generous assessment, he knew. Jade, for her part, kept her voice even and her face a mask.

Except… every time the Calamarian serving girl came out to top their wine or change to the next course. He noticed Jade would watch the girl both directly and through her peripheral. More than once Luke had a chance to get a good view of the Calamarian, but to be fair she looked like every other Calamarian he had met recently on the planet.

So he opened himself to the Force and slowly waded through the mass of emotions flowing through the room, nervousness, caution, paranoia, things typical when hosting someone of such rank and nobility. As he narrowed to the servant, he felt overwhelming sadness, with a touch of fear.

"Tell me, Governor," Jade leaned forward, elbows on the table, hands clasped, "how do you think the ruling class, the business owners and land owners, have been doing since the Proclamation?"

"Well, ah," the man stalled as he considered his answer, "the business owners for the most part I believe have successfully adjusted to the changes. Free labor had been a boon to their bottom line, but the temporary tax credit and allotments helped."

"Employment rate?" she asked with what sounded like disinterest.

"Not as high as projected," the man's smile wavered, "but within reason."

Her eyes flicked over to the servant girl, "I see you are doing your part?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Cashesa," Jade called to the serving girl who instantly lifted her head at the sound of her name. Luke couldn't recall when Jade could have learned it. "Come here please."

The young Calamarian did as was asked, taking her place beside Jade, head bowed and eyes averted, but not so much that she couldn't see when Jade lifted her hand lazily towards the girl. There was an unmistakable flinch from Cashesa and in an instance the room froze, except for Luke, who, despite being a Jedi, had no idea what just happened.

With what could only be described as a growl, Jade stood up quickly, the heavy chair skidding back and reverberating through the room. She took a hold of the servant's high collared tunic and tugged it down. Luke opened his mouth to protest such handling of the girl when he saw what everyone else had seemed to already known was going to be there.

"That's from a shock collar," Luke didn't bother to hide the revulsion in his voice at the scars on the Calamarian's neck.

"Ah, yes," Latten quickly spoke up, "there are unfortunately many Calamarian's who still bear the scars of the time of…"

The Governor trailed off when Jade rolled her head and stared at him directly, her jaw tight, "Please, don't insult my intelligence. These scars have barely started to heal, the collar was used last… what, four days ago, when you heard I was arriving?"

Again, the man began to speak but as Jade dropped her hand from the girl, she stood at her fullest height, her chin straight and eyes darkened. Unmoving, she stared the table down, every muscle tense as if she could and would attack them with her bare hands. Or maybe with just a snap of her fingers she would send them spiraling to their deaths without a second thought.

If that was the impression she was trying to give, she succeeded, freezing the party guests in fear, except for Luke, who could tell that Jade was not drawing on a single ounce of Force energy to intimidate the Governor and his men. They saw what they wanted to see, or in this case, what they feared seeing. His wife had a fearsome reputation indeed.

"Now," her words were short and articulate, "I believe the question was: do you think I'm stupid?"

Silence echoed in the chamber.

"Well?" she bellowed out.

"Nnn… No," Latten stuttered, trembling in his seat, "but you have to understand, Lady Jade, certain things-"

"Certain things, what? Governor," she interrupted him. "There is not a single excuse that you can give me to justify your continuing of using shock collars over a year after all slavery should have been abolished, a statement of fact."

"The transition was words on a page, not taking in the full measure of the reality," anger had emboldened the man, "there are still a few pockets that need to be taken care of."

"Words out of your mouth," she said coldly, "not taking in the full measure of the situation you are in. _You_ are the Governor. _You_should have been the first."

Latten paused, choosing his words with care, "Of course, it will be corrected, immediately."

Jade returned the pause, her face betraying no emotion, "Not. Good. Enough."

"But-"

"No," she waved her hand as a simple gesture but everyone at the table but Luke tensed before realizing it for what it was. "Governor Latten, you are hereby removed from office and to be placed under house arrest for crimes to be dictated to later."

Latten began to protest, but Jade ignored him and turned to the Deputy Governor speaking swiftly and decisively, "Porvu, you are now acting Governor until I decide what to do with _all_of you. Please see to Latten's detainment and I expect by the morning that all currently enslaved Calamari employed by the Governor's office to be freed and given aid. I want a list of all persons who have not undergone full conversion by 0600. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Lady Jade," the pale faced Provu replied.

"You can't do this!" Latten shouted.

Jade smiled, "Yes, I can, and I just did. Now, be a good fellow and behave, before I decide to find a pole, six guards and a room long enough for sixty paces."

Even Luke knew the traditional capital punishment for treason in the Empire and it was definitely not lost on the Governor. As an Admiral and as Royalty, Jade had the authority to serve the sentence on any Imperial subject, but the fact that she would so casually refer to such a thing sent a chilling shock through his system.

"0600 gentleman," with the full gravitas to her voice she turned and walked away from the table.

Luke, left stunned by the whole exchange, took a moment before he stood without ceremony and followed. This was the second new side he had seen of his wife, and he couldn't deny that it scared him because she had done all that without touching the Dark Side… at all.

…

By the time Luke caught up with Jade she had gone into her individual bedchamber in the suite that they had been given upon arrival. "Jade?"

"What?" the tone was harsh.

He leaned up against the door to her room. "You wouldn't really had the Governor shot, would you?"

The door slid open to reveal Jade, he could see her dress in a pile in the middle of the floor and she was now dressed in a tank and shorts. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" he asked incredibly.

"I don't know," her shoulders slumped. "It was a calculated risk, he could have called my bluff."

She moved past him towards the small kitchenette, "You used capital punishment as a bluff?"

"Latten was put in office by my grandfather," she explained, "I was afraid he would never truly accept the regime change, I've been looking for a reason to get rid of him, any would have done, but this…" she shook her head, "he knew what Palpatine could do, it doesn't take much to set alight the imagination of a paranoid man."

"You scared him into submission," Luke said with mixed awe and uncertainty.

"Yeah," she got herself some water out of the cooling unit, "thanks for not calling me out."

Luke suspected that's why she left so quickly, to avoid him acting like a Jedi and ruining the atmosphere she had created. His silence could have been taken as either agreement or neutrality, either way, it helped her more than it hurt. "This isn't going to be a regular thing?"

"Let's hope not," she said with relief and a small measure of vulnerability.

"Okay then," he nodded, the full realization coming to him that life with Jade was not going to be boring and she was going to keep him on his toes.


	9. Chapter 9 - Punching,Kicking & Screaming

**Happy New Year! and THANKS for reading!**

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**C****hapter 9 – Punching, Kicking & Screaming**

"I'm not sure if I should thank you or threaten you," Beddine grumbled from the comm unit. "Latten has been trouble, but to just invoke privilege like that? It may set the wrong precedents."

"What's done is done," Mara shrugged and looked the better part of disinterested. "You can't back out."

"I know that," he guffed, "not that I'm left with much choice either."

"Fancy that," she replied dryly.

Beddine tightened his jaw and drew in a very long breath, probably counting to ten, or fifty, in order to calm himself. "I will dispatch Petri to take over Governship, we know we can trust him."

"Petri," she rolled the name over, "yes, I think he will do nicely."

"Glad we are in an agreement," the Chancellor shook his head.

Mara let out a short laugh, "Wonders never cease."

"Enjoy the rest of your trip," he sighed, "try not to get into any more trouble."

Unfortunately the very snappy retort Mara was about to think up was unusable as the comm went silent with Beddine signing off.

It was a reminder of her place, now that things were back to normal, back to business. She had staved off the darkness, the surreal nature of the wedding and her unbending desire to complete the peace process gave her the strength to push the darkness back when it wanted to encroach on her.

Reality had finally sat in and once again she felt the void, one of the many ripped ragged inside her over the years.

From her first memories she never had freedom, there was always something taking away everything that mattered to her. Always others were controlling her destiny. On her ship she felt a measure of power, but without warning she'd been starkly reminded of her weakness despite her strength. She was a puppet, never to be manipulated, only controlled.

Mara Jade, royalty, Force user, owner of a Star Destroyer, has a vulnerability complex. Oh, her therapist would have a field day, if she bothered to have such things. Instead, she let herself feel the anger and the defensive posture that made her feel safe. Nothing could touch her when that wrapped around her.

Her grandfather taught her that anger could make her powerful, but she didn't trust it, she had learned that lesson. But it did come in handy, feeling anger was better than certain other, even more destructive, emotions. Everyone on the ship knew when she got into these dark moods it was best to give her a wide berth and fix whatever was broken later without comment.

All save one.

The office was at the back of her quarters and so she had to walk across the living area to get to her bedroom. On her way through she found Skywalker sitting in front of the holo, but it wasn't on. He was just sitting there, meditating, stock still and barely breathing. It seemed to be his favorite spot. Mara had half a mind to turn the holo on at full volume one of these days to see if she'd get a reaction.

"Need something?" Luke asked her after she had stood there staring for longer than was polite.

"A level of understanding," she replied flatly.

This made his eyes flit open and he turned his head towards her. "You want to know about the Jedi?"

She gave a rather unladylike snort, "No, I want to know how you can just sit there while some of us actually work for a living."

His brow creased and the stupidity of her statement shown in his face, "What would you have me do?"

It was a legitimate question, unlike her, he had no role to play. There was no one demanding his time, wanting something of him, placing responsibility upon him, using him. In her anger she forgot that this situation wasn't of his making, nor his fault. He always had that damn calm look on his face and that simply wouldn't do.

"Get a job," she bit out with a growl.

"Woah, wait, what?" he asked in that annoyingly naïve way.

"Just forget it," she waved him off, heading back to her room, "probably too high and mighty to get your hands dirty anyway."

"Hey," in the back of her mind she knew that the gesture was innocent, he simply wanted her to stop and explain what was going on and how she had so quickly turned on him, but at this point she simply didn't care, when his hand touched her arm, she reacted.

Spinning around, she swung her arm across and planted her elbow against his chest which he wasn't expecting. The blow sent him backwards, tripping over the sofa and landing on the floor.

"The mighty Jedi," she laughed.

He stared at her incredulously, "What is wrong with you today?"

"You are," she replied pointedly, her muscles itching to beat him to an inch of his life if he touched her again. His damned Jedi sensibilities made her angry. He was a victim like her but he seemed to be better off and that made her angry. He had it easy and that made her angry.

Those bright blue, intelligent eyes stared up at her with a mix of confusion and hurt, not a physical pain. "I'm sorry."

She had expected the words from him, either as a lousy sarcastic comeback or a plea for his life, but instead he spoke strongly, giving as much forgiveness as he was asking for. There was a strength there she couldn't help but envy. Something inside her snapped and she felt light headed as the pulsing blood that fed her anger slowed abruptly.

The knowing revelation that she had hurt him flooded every recess of her mind. She hurt someone who did not have it coming, had done nothing to deserve it. The darkness washed back over her in a crushing wave, this time feeding off her own self hatred.

Balling her hands into fists to stop the trembling, she turned sharply on her heels and headed out the door, she knew what was coming next.

…

Luke was, for the better part, confused. He'd been married to Mara for only a few weeks but in that short time he'd never seen her use nor touch the Dark Side. Yes, she had a sarcastic and defensive wall but she wasn't the only being, force user or no, to have one. Her use of the force was a subject he planned to address, later, when the timing was better, but this… wasn't regular anger.

It wasn't like she was drawing on the dark side, but it swirled around her, leeched on her, possessed her.

For several minutes he sat on the floor where he fell, trying to make sense of what he felt. He simply came back to a word that wasn't right but was as close as he could understand: possessed.

The door slid open and Gilad stepped in, eyes quickly darting around the room. When he saw Luke he gave a sigh of relief.

"You okay?" the Captain asked as he walked over.

"Yeah," Luke took the offered hand and stood up, "but a little lost."

"I thought about warning you," the man apologized, "but she'd been so good at controlling it I hoped that maybe the worst was over."

Luke gestured for him to sit down, "Please, explain."

With a sigh, Gilad sat down on the sofa, "When Mara was young an… incident… occurred."

"What kind of incident?" he quested the ominous tone of the captain's voice.

"Not my place to say," Gilad held up a hand to stop Luke so he could continue, "but suffice it to say, Palpatine was involved and the Dark Side of the Force. Every since then, Mara has had… troubles…"

"Troubles," the word was a bit of an understatement, "the Dark Side was almost possessing her."

"I suppose that's a good enough term," he agreed, "Mara has no love of the Dark Side but it seems to be a part of her. When she was younger it was worse, she couldn't control it and would get into horrendous fits. Over the years the attacks have gotten less and less, though seemingly more random."

He rolled this over in his mind, "Anyone ever gotten hurt?"

"A long time ago," Gilad answered after a pause, "but no, as long as you stay clear you'll be fine, though I suspect there will be some damaged machinery to be repaired by morning." He stood, nodding politely, "Hopefully you won't have to worry about it again for some time."

"What more aren't you telling me?" Luke didn't need the force to know the man was holding back.

"Plenty," he gave a sad laugh, "though most of it isn't mine to say."

Luke hadn't known the captain for long but he knew this was all Gilad would say and so watched the man take his leave. His best bet was to do what the rest of the crew had apparently become accustomed to doing, laying low until the storm blew over. It was the sensible, intelligent, thing to do.

Leia always said she was the smarter of the two.

…

The training area was empty save for the loan figure expertly beating the training droid within an inch of its electronic life. It took the abuse unquestionably, better it than the beings that would fix him when she was done with him. She had changed into her workout clothes, a supportive tank top and loose pants. She opted out of gloves and shoes, wanting to feel the pain of contact.

The last time she had one of these fits was when the peace negotiations had been called and she was refused entry. It wasn't so much the refusal but her anxious nature as she awaited the outcome. Distracted, the darkness overtook her and she dislocated her shoulder after the ensuing fight.

She learned a long time ago that if she could calm herself till she got to the work room then she could direct her anger away from others. Skywalker had been lucky, she'd have to explain that to him later. That thought actually fuelled her anger, everything did when the darkness reached its peak.

"Jade," the voice boomed in the silence and the speaker paused at the sudden sound.

Turning she saw Luke standing across the practice mats, part of her cringed, wanting to scream, tell him to run. Her lips parted in a feral smile, this was going to be fun, and he had only himself to blame.

"Skywalker," she stretched the muscles in her shoulders and neck. "Sitting all day makes you flabby."

A practice staff flew off the wall rack into his hand, "Perhaps you're right."

The temptation to use the Force was there but she still had enough mind to avoid it, bad things happened when it got involved. Instead, she circled the Jedi who remained a mask of serenity until she got close enough to the wall to grab a staff.

"You don't want to fight me," the words came out of her mouth a mockery as she both didn't want to hurt him but at the same time knew she could easily destroy him and very much wanted to.

"We don't always get what we want," he spun the staff, getting the weight, then relaxed into a stance.

"No kidding," she replied dryly, then struck.

…

He had taken a defensive stance knowing Mara would be the aggressor. She quickly covered the space between the, and since she wouldn't be able to have surprise on her side, she used momentum instead.

Bracing with his staff she hit with the full force of her bodyweight which was enough to cause him to skid. Twisting it she wacked him in the knee, it was only a graze, enough to sting and he held his ground, able to push her back.

Pressing her advantage again, Mara struck five times low and high in random succession, forcing him to step back twice. For now, Luke wanted the defensive posture, it allowed him to split his concentration onto Mara and what was driving her. He could feel the darkness around her as if it was trying to seep into her skin. She was giving it anger to feed on and bleed out.

Mara was literally leeching the Dark Side out of her through violence.

Not entirely sure what to do about the situation, it wasn't something mentioned during any of his training, he decided to continue the fight, continue to monitor, and try not to get killed.

His wife was an extraordinary fighter, especially when she lacked any regard for his well being.

Swinging high he blocked but that opened him up to a leg swipe. A back flip avoided him going down, but put him further in the disadvantage as he landed on one knee. Mara gave an annoyed growl and launched at him again, pressing her advantage with a forceful downward strike.

Their staffs crossed, he looked into her furious eyes. "Why?"

"Wha?" she slacked a bit at his sudden question.

"Why fight?" he asked in all honesty, "There are better ways."

Luke realized that was the wrong thing to say when Mara abruptly let go of her staff and punched at him, his reflexes meaning that he was able to move only quickly enough not to have his jaw broken when her fist slammed down against him. On instinct, he pushed out with the Force and sent her flying backwards.

Rubbing what was to surely bruise he was only partially aware of her coming to a skid on the mats. The Force swirled around her and he could feel the conflict, the strength behind what she was capable… and Luke genuinely feared for his life.

…

Stupid, stupid man. Didn't know a damn thing.

Could just… snap his neck… wouldn't be hard…

Mara's hands trembled in anger and she didn't bother to clench them but felt the pain of the stressed tendons fighting against the muscles.

The darkness liked to whispered, it had a voice, she knew that voice, knew it all too well. Can't stop it but mustn't listen to it.

"Mara?" another voice spoke, a voice she needed to keep from distracting her.

Starting from a dead run she swung the staff in a high arc, using speed as a defense against an attack. Skywalker blocked again, his reflexes fast for someone who seemed to spend most of his time meditating. Though what he did next was as unpredictable as it was crazy.

Before Jade could slide her weapon from his in order to prep for another attack, Skywalker let his staff fall and stepped back quickly. Jade, still pressing her inertia against the object, found herself falling forward with it. Her husband grabbed her wrists and pulled them up into the air. Had she not been thoroughly confused she would have had the presence of mind to kick him to break free, but the darkness always clouded her vision.

Twisting her around, she automatically let go of the weapon for fear of it being used to leverage her wrists or arms into being broken. Finding her arms crossed in front of her and her back now pressed up against Skywalker's chest, she regained her fight or flight reflexes and kicked back against his knee, attempting to throw him over her shoulder. Sensing what she was doing his opted to drop to the floor, bringing her with him.

Skywalker was on his knees while her own legs were twisted beneath her. With a growl she began to thrash against his bonds, a piece of her mind marveling at how strong the almost scrawny guy was.

"Jade," he shouted into her ear, "breathe, relax and breathe!"

"How about maim and kill?" she hissed back.

She heard what sounded like a growl of frustration but no more words came from his lips, instead she felt hot, scalding hot. It started at her wrists and her back where she was pressed against the Jedi. After a moment she realized what she was feeling was pure energy, he was emanating it, using his body as a conduit.

He nuzzled his head against hers, resting his chin on her shoulder, and she could feel the energy clearing some of the fog that had descended into her mind. Mara came to her senses enough to realize that this energy was doing in minutes what hours of rigorous combat training took to achieve.

It had been years since she had any experience with channeling energy but a desperation fell over her to rid herself of the darkness. She reached out with the Force to grasp a hold of the energy. Pulling it in she let it follow her nerves to reach every inch of her body and mind to feel the darkness melt away, shrieking as it did so.

Once the darkness was gone, she had no other focus but the massive amount of Force energy was still running through her, building. She panicked. What came next was an explosion of pain.


	10. Chapter 10 - Ask Me No Secrets

**Thank you all again for reading, esp to those who review but you all rock! **

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**Chapter 10 – Ask me no secrets…**

She had a splitting headache, though in truth she'd had worse. It didn't take much for her to realize she was back in her bedroom, lying above the covers, still dressed in her workout clothes. She was alone, good. She didn't, couldn't, face Skywalker at the moment.

First she let the darkness get the better of her, then she let Skywalker get the better of her. That made her weak and vulnerable… something she couldn't afford.

Feet dropping like lead weights she stood and headed to the refresher. She only went in to wash her face but felt compelled to turn on the shower, temperature just short of scalding. She stayed in long enough for the water to start to run cold, draining the heating tank. It didn't make her feel any better, her body and psyche exhausted and worn.

Shutting it down she stepped onto the tiled floor, grabbing a towel from the rack on the wall. There was only a small hair towel, she hadn't restocked from the laundry room and her robe was leaning over the back of her dressing chair if she remembered correctly. Just one more annoyance.

Spouting a few curses she wrapped her hair up in the towel and hit the door release, stepping out swiftly looking for her robe.

"Mar—aaahhh," Luke's strangled voice called out from the open doorway. She quickly glanced in his direction seeing him visibly pause before quickly spinning on his heels. "I am so sorry!" he practically squeaked.

She wanted to be furious, she wanted to scream, but in truth it was her own damn fault for forgetting her robe and leaving the door to her bedroom open. In honesty she was too tired to care.

"Like what you saw?" the words were less than sarcastic, only said because it seemed like the right thing at the time, the perfect cliché.

"I didn't… uh… see anything," he was a horrible liar.

Rolling her eyes she snatched the robe from where she left it, slipping it on. "Why are you here anyway? Come to gloat."

"Gloat? I would never… why would I?" the Jedi was still stumbling over his words, still not recovered apparently. It was kind of cute, in another time, another life.

Walking up behind him she spun him around and watched as his eyes instantly shot up. "What do you want?"

Luke's eyes quickly darted down and saw her clothed. He lowered his gaze but didn't quite look at her. "I wanted to check up on you."

"After you put the whammy on me you mean," she rolled her eyes and turned away, heading for her dresser.

"I didn't put a whammy on you," he defended, "I saw you were trying to leech the darkness from your body, I wanted to help you."

She wanted to feel mad, she knew she ought to, but true to his word she didn't seem to have the inclination at the moment. Sure, she was angry at the whole situation but the boiling temperament was gone. She pulled some clothes from the dresser and did the unthinkable… she cried.

It wasn't massive waterworks, only a couple of escaped teardrops, but it was enough.

"What did you do to me?" she attempted to ask neutrally while rubbing the salty water from her face.

"A Jedi calming and cleansing technique," he said quietly and she became paranoid that he might know of her tears. "Only I had to force it on you, if you did it yourself, it wouldn't hurt. I'm sorry about the pain—"

"But you had to stop me," Mara rolled her eyes and practically stomped over to him. "Why did you do it?"

"I was just trying to help," again, quiet, calm, like speaking to a skittish animal and she supposed that was accurate enough.

"Sithspawned Jedi," she growled, pushing him out of the doorway, not harshly but enough to put her point across, she didn't want him there right now, didn't want to see him, didn't want to talk to him, didn't want his help.

He was a smart guy and backed off without a word, letting the door close between them as she slapped at the controls. Without bothering to change she crawled onto her bed and began to weep.

…

Luke stood in the middle of the apartment not knowing what to do but pretty sure forcing his way into her room was not the wisest of choices at this juncture. Besides, he needed to do some mediation of his own.

No jokes, no comments, no references, no euphemisms. Best pretend it didn't happen.

He sat down and began to meditate, taking the mental image of Mara and stashing it away so it would not cause any awkwardness in the future.

"Hey," Mara's voice called softly from across the room.

Luke opened his eyes slowly, she was wearing her loose workout clothes. "Yeah?"

"This calming technique," her hand fidgeted at her side, "some kind of special Jedi thing?"

"Um, not really," he had a feeling he knew where this was going but attempted to maintain his neutral tone. "It's basically a variant of a traditional ToraTai breathing exercise only supplementing it with the Force."

"ToraTai?" It wasn't so much of a question of what ToraTai was, a popular form of meditation practiced by Chandriallian holy men, but part of her wondered how close to Jedi-ism the technique was. She hated the Jedi but wanted to learn the exercise, he could see it in her eyes, but somehow she had to marry one realization with the other. There might be irony in that.

"Yes," he smiled, "variant twelve."

She fidgeted a little bit, he wasn't going to make the suggestion, it would give her reason to shoot it down. Finally she took a breath and said, "Think you could teach me that without going all Jedi master on me?"

"I think I can manage that," he said lightly, as if he was ordering wine with dinner. He couldn't be too eager, he couldn't be too standoff-ish.

He must have gotten it right because she didn't yell, didn't snap back, simply turned and headed to the bedroom and stayed there for the rest of the night.

…

It was well over fifteen standard days later when they were able to start on the meditation technique. They'd moved on from Calamari towards the inner core, plenty of time to kill as it where. He didn't mind the gap, it gave him a chance to work on how he was going to teach her a Jedi breathing exercise without talking about Jedi.

"Breath in, hold," he said quietly and she did as he asked. "Now, release slowly, pushing from the bottom of your gut."

"This is stupid," she clenched her teeth. "You're teaching me how to breath, pretty sure I figured that out a few years ago."

He had expected this, "ToraTai is very complex, you need to master it before you can add the use of the Force. It's not something one learns in a matter of hours, or even days."

"Now you tell me," she grumbled and stood from her position on the floor in front of the holo vid.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she walked away.

"Got work to do," she answered and disappeared into her work study.

Luke followed after, slightly annoyed but expecting this. He found her tapping away at her desk console. "You do know what 'training' means, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," she didn't bother looking up. "Let me take care of this first."

A smart man would not point out the obvious, a smarter one would. "_This_ is what makes you angry in the first place. Why you need to train."

Her eyes flashed up, cold, "Brilliant observation."

"Thinking of writing a thesis," he crossed his arms and leaned against the threshold, "Mara Jade: In the Wild: An Anthropological Study."

She raised one eyebrow, "Sarcasm is my thing."

"Where do you think I'm learning it from," he mimicked her raised brow before continuing. "We all have something to learn."

He walked away but had he turned back he would have seen the smile creep onto Jade's lips.

…

"Okay," Jade said three planets later before they were about to reach Corsucant, "breathe from the gut, slowly, clearing my mind."

"I know, it's hard," Luke was trying to be sympatric but it only served to annoy her, "but the mind becomes cluttered and in that mess the darkness hides."

"Could you please stop being philosophical," she sighed, closing her eyes, "makes my head hurt."

"You're still thinking about the ReeCee incident, aren't you?" he asked.

She grumbled a bit. There was bound to be some hiccups in the path to peace and nothing spoke to that more than the collision of an Imperial trade ship and Republic cargo ship. In reality, it was a simple screw up, a tragic one but nothing that would have gone past the local news had it not been an Imperial and a Republic ship.

Of course insinuations started to rise and random theories thrown out even though it was quite obvious that it was the Republic captain's fault as he tried to cut off the Imperial ship in order to get an early dock. He had been warned and the Imperial ship did put on their afterburners in attempt to slow down but the cargo hauler still clipped it, spinning into the atmosphere uncontrolled.

A stupid, needless, accident but now the Republicans were shouting that the ship was goaded into putting itself into danger while some Imperials were exaggerating the facts into something more sinister. She had half a mind to grab them all by the neck and Luke kissed her.

Wait, what?

It was only a peck, nothing more than what occurred on their wedding, but it happened and every thought of ReeCee, the peace, the Empire, hell, even her breathing exercises went straight out of her head.

Her jaw dropped slightly and her eyes fluttered open to see Luke's baby blue's only inches from hers.

"That," the Jedi said sternly, "is what a blank mind feels like. That is the goal. Let's start again."

It took a second to come back to her senses. "They teach you that at the Jedi Academy?"

He actually blushed a little, "No, that was improvised, but it worked."

She gauged him for a moment. "You saw it in a holovid, didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged," he smiled and leaned back, "worked though."

"Yeah, it worked," she shook her head, "don't do it again."

"Noted," he was entirely too pleased with himself. "Now, start again. Deep breath."

Bold and clever, she might actually get to liking the guy if he kept this up.


	11. Chapter 11 - and I'll Tell You No Lies

**Thank you again for reading! **

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**Chapter 11 – …and I'll tell you no lies.**

"I dunno," Luke pulled a hydraulic feed from one of the stabilizers, "she's not as bad as I was expecting."

Artoo let out a few beeps from his perch in the droid pit of Luke's X-Wing.

"Okay, yeah, I was expecting pretty bad," he admitted, putting the feed on test as he was pretty sure a gummed line was the reason his left-top s-foil was sticking. He was right and the little droid beeped as it flushed the coolant. First they would run an acetate formula through to clean it out, hopefully they wouldn't have to take the whole assembly apart and replace the line.

Footsteps echoed on the polished floors of the small hanger. The Star Destroyer had several bays both large and small, he was given a smaller one as a personal hold for his X-Wing. He could fit six of them in the space and that's what they considered small?

He glanced up to see Corporal Landis approaching, the man had become his unofficial liaison with the rest of the ship. If he needed directions or information about protocols, or if someone on the ship needed to tell him something, then they would go through Landis for some reason. It kind of worked out that way after that first meeting.

"Landis," he greeted the man with a friendly smile.

"Skywalker," the nav officer nodded. "We're about to hit the outer ring of Coruscanti space, Cap' thinks it's best if we keep your ship docked until we leave again."

"Makes sense," he replied after a moment's thought. With the ReeCee incident still in the news last anyone needed was another unfortunate accident between different sides. He was a confident pilot but still, better safe than sorry. "Thank you."

"You gonna need new hydraulics?" the man asked, pointing to the feed.

Luke waited a second to skim the readout Artoo fed onto his datapad. "Doesn't look like it."

"That's good," the statement was kind of awkward, especially as it followed by a long pause, Landis standing, slightly rocking on his feet.

He glanced up him, "Something else, Landis?"

Landis seemed to think it over before saying, "Me and some other guys have a standing sabbacc game, one of our regulars pulled a shift and we need a fill in, you interested?"

That was, without a doubt, the last thing he expected to come out of the man's mouth. It was so surprising he failed to cover his confusion and let everything show on his face.

"Listen," Landis practically ground the word out, "we know what you did for Jade, what you've been doing. We also know you're hankering for the world's most boring person trophy. It's nothing fancy, nothing to write home about, but we thought you might like a night where you don't sit around meditating."

Several thoughts ran through his head, one of which being the realization that everyone on the ship knew his business. What happened in the workout room when he forced Mara into a meditative trance was expected to get out, it was a public location, but the rest? How could the crew have found out when he wasn't even sure if Pellaeon knew? Mara was not the kind of person to spill anything about her personal life, let alone this? Her attitude had changed only marginally since they started, everything slow going, could they have really noticed such a minute change?

But most importantly, was he really that boring?

"Ah, thanks," he was still a bit confused and troubled by the realization that yeah, he was boring. He briefly considered that this was some kind of joke or scam but everything in the Force confirmed that it was exactly what it appeared to be. "I appreciate the thought."

"I'll send you the details," Landis turned to leave but then said, "just don't go using your Jedi hohocky to cheat."

Luke laughed before saying, "Four of my best friends are Corellian, I cheat the honest Corellian way."

Landis nodded, a slight smile tugging but not quite there, then headed out of the hanger bay. He wasn't exactly friends with the man, didn't really expect to become friends, but now the idea was out there.

Artoo beeped at him.

"Yeah," Luke went back to reattaching the hydraulic feed, "terrifying thought indeed."

…

Luke knocked politely on the door of First Lieutenant Bale's personal quarters. According to Landis it was Bale's turn to host the location of the game. Each of the members take their turn providing necessities such as location, snacks, and alcohol. Apparently the gentleman he was covering was due to bring a bottle of something "that burns on the way down" so he took a six year old bottle of Whyren's Reserve from Mara's bar.

The look on her face had been priceless when he told her. She didn't even say anything, just turned away and went back to her study to work.

As he stood there he had to admit, for the first time in a long while, he'd been unsure of himself.

The door slid open to reveal a tall, lanky, fair skinned man in nothing but camo slacks and a workout shirt. Luke let a mental sigh of relief as he himself chose to wear something similar, basic slacks, cotton shirt and simple jacket.

"This, is why you invite the new guy," the man hollered into the room, snatching the bottle from Luke's hand, "they always bring the good stuff."

With that the tall guy gestured for Luke to come in while also heading into the small living quarters. It was bigger than the room he had in Mara's quarters, but it was single occupancy which befitted the Lieutenant's statue. Room enough to have his own refresher and bedroom as well as a small kitchenette and space for a lounger. It was sparsely decorated but there were holoposters of holovids, most of which he had never heard of, let alone scene. They all seemed to have the Imperial actress Kali Mali in them as the theme.

"Skywalker," Landis greeted him, standing over by the counter, staying out of the way of a dark skinned gentleman putting portable chairs around a sabbacc table.

"Landis," he nodded, staying back as the door closed behind him, not sure what to do next. The scene was eerily familiar to ones that took place during his Academy and X-Wing days.

"Bale," Landis said, pointing to the guy fixing the chairs, "and the ugly cuss is Formor," he gestured the tall man who opened the door. "Waiting on Sox."

"Gentleman," Luke smiled politely.

"No need for niceties," Bale grabbed a bowl of prets and sat them off to the side on the table, "we're just regular folks here to take each other's money."

Now that was something he could relate to.

…

Several hours, several glasses of alcohol, several curse words, several bluffs, several crude jokes, and one racy picture of a twi'lik later and it was down to Bale and Sox to take the pot. Fomor had gone out first, apparently it's his life work to always lose his money before his senses. Luke outlasted Landis but Bale wasn't bluffing when Luke thought he was.

Sox, a dark haired older man from a small outpost he had never heard of, was facing down Bale, all-in. Luke sipped on his drink as the two didn't move, didn't twitch.

"Don't even know why we bother trying to play against these two," Landis whispered but there was no malice in his voice. Seems it always came down to Bale and Sox unless someone just got lucky.

"Okay, so," Fomor had a slightly higher pitched voice despite his age, almost made him sound kiddish but apparently he was the best mechanic in the Imperial Navy if he did say so himself. He leaned over the table a bit, sitting between the sparing sabbac players who ignored him. "Is it true Lady Jade is possessed by the ghost of Palpatine?"

Some whiskey went down the wrong throat and Landis thumped Luke hard on the back as Sox whacked Fomor hard upside the head.

"Hey," the tall guy recoiled, "we all think it."

"Not all of us," Bale grumbled and laid his cards on the table.

"Shavit," Sox threw his cards face down and stood, heading for more alcohol.

"Hah," the darker gent pulled the chips towards him. "Now that's a nice pile of money I didn't have to sweat for."

"But seriously," Fomor whined in Luke's general direction, "you got to know what's wrong with the Lady to be able to fix her, right?"

"You're a dumb as a gundark," Landis threw a prets at the man. "Excuse the idiot who doesn't think before he speaks."

"I'm confused," Luke said evenly, "was this a sabbacc game or an interrogation?"

"Was supposed to be a sabbacc game," Sox sat down, thumping a bottle of Rhodisan Ale between them, "but squeaker here can't help but say what we've all been thinking."

The other two looked like they might argue but then acquiesced to the older soldier's take on the situation. Landis admitted, "The Lady Jade is wound tighter than a Perkin's Route Clip, always has been."

Luke had no idea what a Perkin's Route Clip was but he got the idea.

Bale continued, "We all heard about the whammy you put on her when she had one of her tirades. Mighty brave of you to face her like that."

"To be honest," Luke was always honest, "it wasn't a whammy and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into."

"But you did it all the same," Bale continued. "We all know about her 'moments' and we don't put it against her, they always been far between and we know she ain't quite right in the head when it happens."

Sox cut in, "She's been too good to us not to allow her some… eccentricities."

"Ever since the last incident and you started teaching her meditation," Landis now spoke, "we've noticed that she's not been as tightly wound as usual, a bit more relaxed."

How in the universe did they find out? He'd ask but in all due respect he was afraid to. Instead he said, "She still seems as 'tightly wound' as ever?"

"Ah," Fomor grinned, "you've known her only a few galactic months, some of us have known her for years."

"Over a decade even," the older Sox added.

"It's subtle," Landis admitted, "but it's there."

Of course these men who dutifully served her for so long would be first to catch onto any kind of character trait changes, how could he have missed that?

"Do you know why she gets all scary Lady on us?" Fomor asked and the other men scolded him.

"No," Luke decided to tell them, best to keep the rumor mill at bay. "I mean, I know the how but not the why and that's all I can say out of respect to her privacy. However, I will say for certain that she is not possessed by anything, especially Palpatine."

"Well," Fomor visibly sighed, "that's a relief."

…

Even though Bale had taken all the money he split the pot and they started all over again, only this time Sox got the better of them. It was more morning than evening when Luke stumbled in, not exactly sober.

He made his way into the kitchen and got himself a nice tall glass of water. Sure, he could use the force to keep himself from the headache he was due to incur but he had earned the hangover. As Kyle would say, hangovers should be worn as a badge of honor.

"Well, someone had fun," the droll words were spoken behind him.

"Yeah," Luke smiled to himself, "I did." It had been too long since he had.

He expected a sarcastic comment but got a simple, quiet, "Good" then heard her footsteps turn to leave.

Perhaps it was the half a bottle of Rhodsian Ale still in his blood but he boldly turned around and stalked Jade into the living room, "They thought you were possessed by Palpatine."

Mara gave an unladylike snort, "I've heard that one before."

"I set them straight," he shrugged, "well, best I could."

"Hhmm," was her only response.

"The ToraTai is a good start," he took a few steps closer, embolden, "but you'll never truly free of the darkness until…"

She put her hands on her hips and gave an indignant, "Until what?"

"I dunno," he admitted, the room starting to spin just a bit, "because I don't know why it's there. I haven't asked, oh how I've wanted to, hoped you would tell me but you haven't."

"You're dunk."

"Yes, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes, "Go to bed, Skywalker."

"I will," he leaned on the sofa, the ale starting to hit him hard, "but until you tell me why, I'm only putting a blaster on a plaster wound."

She raised one eyebrow, "Don't you mean a plaster on a blaster wound?"

"Maybe," his head started to spin and he wasn't entirely sure which way was up.

"Kriff, Skywalker," arms reached around him to hold him up and lead him into his room, dumping him unceremoniously onto his bed.

…

Jade dumped her husband's body, untangling his arms and legs so that he wouldn't be sore in the morning. Sick, sure, sore, no one needed that. Pulling his jacket off she tossed it to the side, he could put it up later. She did the same with this shoes, it's never comfortable to sleep with them on.

She paused as she considered removing his belt, also a piece of garment that was not good to sleep in, but it was also closer to his 'personal space'. Shrugging she quickly undid the buckle and slipped it off.

Jade started to laugh, "You got a look at me, maybe you should return the favor?"

He started to snore.

Shaking her head she went to the door, palming the lights. Looking back at his sleeping form she thought about what he had said. He wanted to ask her why the darkness came for her, what her secret was, but he hadn't. He was waiting for her to tell him, when she was ready.

What was the old saying?

"Ask me no secrets, and I'll tell you no lies."

One day, when he wasn't drunk and likely not to remember the next day, he'd finally break down an ask her. Question was, would she tell him the truth or a lie?


	12. Chapter 12 - Change of Plans

**Chapter 12 – Change of Plans**

Again, you can look at all the images you want but when you see the place in real life, there is no comparison.

"Woah," Luke was standing on a balcony at the top of the Imperial Palace, a buffer shield covering the open area less the heavy winds at that height whip a person right off into the abyss. There was no land to speak of, simply glittering lights of buildings and traffic turning the city into one multi-faceted gem.

"I'd say the view never gets old," Mara walked up beside him, "but I'd be lying."

"You got tired of this?" he asked without taking his eyes off of the landscape.

"I got tired," she shrugged and pulled away heading into the conference room. "You coming?"

"Yeah," he managed to tear away from the view and followed her inside where some assistants and the Director of Public Relations, Gerrad Peiort, was on the holovid setting up yet another interview or public appearance.

They had been hitting it non-stop since they showed up, mostly Mara taking the lead as she discussed politics such as backlash against certain tariffs, labor laws, ReeCee and other various hiccups in the road to peace. For the most part Luke was ignored by the media which he was both appreciative and annoyed about. He wasn't one for lime-light but he wasn't without his own opinions on the matters at hand. At least he had time to visit some of the landmarks and 'tourist traps' prominent in the city. Places his parents told him he should visit, if they still existed.

The old Jedi Temple.

He mentioned it months ago, when they discussed their trip to Coruscant, and all Jade could say was that 'she'd look into it'. The place was a tomb, thousands of Jedi slaughtered when Clone Troops marched on the building. Without Anakin to lead them as Palpatine had hoped several Jedi managed to escape but Palpatine came down from the palace in all his Sith glory and finished off what he could.

It was a dark day for the Jedi, the temple a memorial to this, and a reminder.

Jade didn't think it was a good idea for him to go and drudge up the history, the memories, the prejudice…

Luke may have a grudging respect for the woman but in this she was completely wrong.

"Are you going to need me?" Luke asked as Peiort discussed topics and key words for the next interview.

"Ah, no," Mara thought about it for a second. "Not really. Did you want to go by the C-RAM now?"

The Coruscanti Royal Arts Museum was home of some of the finest, most beautiful works of art in every genre the galaxy had ever seen. They say it would take two galactic weeks to walk around it and see every piece properly. It was a definite 'must see' according to his mother.

"Can you think of a better time?" he asked casually.

"I'll inform the reporters," Peiort started to tap on his datapad. "It will be a fluff shot, they'll ask you some simple 'how are you finding Coruscant/Empire' questions, like we discussed."

"Yeah," he was less than enthusiastic. When he landed the first thing they did was spend several hours with Peiort going over what he could and could not discuss. This was definitely more his sister's purview than his.

"Duok," Peiort called over to a young man, "have a speeder brought around and escort for Knight Skywalker."

The man nodded and began speaking into a comlink. A few minutes later he was led down to a private parking area where he was loaded into a covered speeder with one Royal Guardsman and Duok. It was not something he was used to and to say it made him uncomfortable was a bit of an understatement.

Oh well.

"Change of plans," he said to Duok whose eyes only widened just slightly in possible panic.

"Sir?"

Several minutes later as reporters gathered at the entrance of the C-RAM they started to wonder when Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker was going to arrive. They were going to have to wait awhile.

…

Another semi-pointless interview where she said the same thing she's said over a dozen times before to various media groups… but it had to be done. It was what she was there for, her job in this time of change and threatening unrest. Honestly, when they had been at war things back home had been calmer, easier to handle, everyone with the same goal.

Now… now it was every man for himself.

Granted, things weren't as bad here as they were in the New Republic, from what she heard, but she was beginning to understand just what her grandfather had done, the value of total control.

"Do you know where your husband is?" Peiort marched up to her, huffing and breathing hard.

"I'm not his keeper," she answered.

"He did not arrive at the C-RAM and Duok called me saying your husband decided to stop someplace else first…" he was ranting by now. "Wouldn't tell me where!"

Mara's immediate first thought was something had gone wrong, Luke was in trouble, but then she realized not only did he have security but he was a Jedi. Annoying as they were, they could handle themselves in a fight if need be. But where could he have gone?

Oh.

"Try the Jedi Temple," she sighed. She knew she should have worked harder to arrange something but the symbolism was all wrong. They are trying to promote peace, not rehash old hatreds and bring them back out into the light.

"Of course," a light went on in Peiort's head. "I'll have a detail go pick him up, hopefully we can avoid—"

"Director," a young female assistant came running over with a portable holovid receiver in her hand. "Leeta Marsta is about to go live with Knight Skywalker at the Jedi Temple."

"Shavit!" the man shouted, the first time she'd ever heard him do so. Jade had to suppress a smile.

It was too late now, so Peiort called all his assistants and spin men to get a jump on the situation as they headed into a conference room to see what kind of damage Luke was about to do. She was angry, possibly livid, but she couldn't help but appreciate what this was doing to Peiort.

"Greetings Coruscant, this is Leeta Marsta speaking to you live from the long abandoned Jedi Temple," the reporter began, a close up shot panning up to prove she was indeed standing on one of the entrance ramps. The woman was tall, blonde, beautiful, but also the craftiest of all the reporters Jade had ever met. This was going to be a total disaster.

"As every Coruscanti knows," Leeta continued, "the Glorious Emperor Palpatine had the foresight to send his troops against the temple twenty years ago in order to eradicate what was becoming a increasingly corrupt and out of touch group who, well, let's face it, couldn't see what was right in front of them the whole time." That was going to go over great. "Today, as we near the twenty first anniversary of Order 66, I bring you an exclusive interview with Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker," the camera panned out to show Luke standing next to the reporter, seemingly unphased, "son of Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker and Former Old Republican now New Republican Senator Padme Naberrie, and of course, husband to our own Royal Highness Lady Mara Jade, granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine."

Could she have laid it on any thicker? Mara bowed her head and held her hand over her eyes, this was not going to be good.

"Knight Skywalker," Leeta said lightly, cheerily even, "what are your thoughts on being here at the Temple where so many of kindred died all those years ago?"

"It's sobering, to say the least, Leeta," Luke said conversationally though there was that slight edge that showed he was taking this seriously. "I think everyone will agree with me that twenty years ago was a different time. The failing Republic, the burgeoning Empire, the Jedi, the people of the universe were crying out for a change and something had to be done."

Mara's head popped up.

"So," Leeta continued on that train of thought, "are you saying that Order 66 was a necessity or at least acceptable?"

"No," he said without anger, "I very much wished it hadn't had to come to that, that the galaxy did not feel the need for an Empire, and for Emperor Palpatine not to have felt the need to destroy the Jedi, but this is what happened, we can only move on from where we are now and keep in mind the mistakes that were made."

"Are you calling the Empire a mistake?" she tried to goad him.

"Some might," he admitted, "and I will always be partial to a more democratic style of government but that is not what I was referring to."

"Please, explain."

"The events of over twenty years ago led us into a war that lasted most of my lifetime," Luke got a little sad, "and much of it could have been avoided if all parties involved, the Old Republic Senate, Senator Palpatine, even the Jedi, had thought to work together for common goals rather than becoming enemies. It was an ideological impasse that lead to the death of thousands in this one instance alone."

Mara's mouth started to gap. Luke had actually said that? He completely ignored the fact that, to the Jedi, Palpatine was a Sith and therefore automatically something to be destroyed. He could have gone on a tirade about how Palpatine was pure evil, great injustices, etc, but no, he knew the crowd he was speaking to, he knew this would get back home as well. He brought up the old hatred and slaughter to show how the current divide could only lead to more of the same.

In other words… he was freaking brilliant.

…

Luke made his way into the quarters that had been given to him in the Imperial Palace. It was more space than his parent's house on Naboo and he wasn't entirely sure what to do with it all.

His little interview must have gotten to Naboo by now and he wondered what his mom and dad had thought of it. After all, while he didn't exactly downplay the loss of life, loss of his father's friends and companions, he hadn't exactly condemned the Empire for its actions either. But what would that ultimately achieve? His goal was not to repeat past mistakes.

"Not bad," Mara's voice called from the sitting area and he watched as she stood from a sofa where she had kind of been hiding. "Not bad at all."

"Could have been better," i.e. his mom and sister would have done a better job.

"No," she shook her head. "You're not a politician, not like me or your mom, you are who you are and your words are real. The people see that, and trust me, it holds more weight than you'd realize."

"Thanks," was all he could think to say.

"Tell me though," she sauntered up to him, "did you set that up with Leeta or did she happen to find you?"

"Would it make a difference?" he asked.

She chewed her lip for a second, "Maybe."

He laughed a bit, completely nervous without really knowing why. "I had Duok put in a call. Kid's ambitious, used it to my advantage."

Mara smiled appreciatively, "I'm impressed."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" he asked in all seriousness.

"We'll see," she laughed back and headed towards the door.

All Luke could do was mutter under his breath, "Boring my foot."


	13. Chapter 13 - Home, Sweet Home

**Author's Note:** I think this is the shortest chapter of the whole fic but it is an important one I think. Once again, thank you all for reading! You know who you are. ;)

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**Chapter 13 – Home, Sweet Home**

"That was very brave," his mother smiled softly through the holo transmitter.

"I don't know about brave," Luke was never comfortable with praise, especially that of his parents. They had been through so much in their lifetime, what could he possibly do that measured up to their trials and tribulations?

"A few here thought you went a little soft," Padme admitted, "but Mon Mothma, the council and several others recognize the intent. We cannot let new arguments bear the same fruit as old animosities."

"Thank you," he said quietly, not realizing how much his parent's acceptance meant to him. But still, "and the Jedi?"

She paused for a moment, "The same. Palpatine was an evil, manipulative man who died a martyr. Trying to convince the people of that would have gotten you nowhere. What you said was… over simplified, but necessity."

Luke considered her words, knowing he had made the right choice but feeling better that others agreed.

"And how are you doing, darling?" his mother's soft words brought him out of his daze. "We have been following your tour with interest. I think you're seeing more of the Core than I ever did."

"It's been interesting," he avoided the obvious pain in his mother's voice. As much as she was against the Empire and was pro-New Republic, she had spent much of her life in the Core as Queen and Senator. It pained her that she may never get to see it again, even with the peace treaty in place. "Seen some lovely places, but nothing as beautiful as Naboo."

"That's wonderful," she smiled and took a small breath, "and how is Mara?"

"She's…" how could he phrase this? "…not as I expected."

"Oh?"

"We still have our disagreement about the nature of the Force and the role of government," he admitted, "but other than that we have a fair bit in common. We can have a civil conversation now and again, as long as it's about Smashball."

Padme chuckled, "Smashball?"

"Don't repeat this, but," Luke unconsciously leaned forward and whispered, "Mara thinks the Besbin _Clouds_ should take the title and wishes the peace negotiation included being able to trade Felio Kutoo to the Corusant _Novas_."

"Really," his mother looked as she was about to burst out laughing, Besbin being part of the New Republic so Mara's words would be scandalous.

"Dead serious," he nodded, "and to be honest, if the _Novas_ did get Kutoo then they would be the best team in the galaxy, they need a strong forward pickup."

"Better than the Naboo _Nebulas_?" she asked in all seriousness.

"I'm afraid so," he frowned sympathetically.

"Oh, dear," she shook her head, tsking, "don't let your father hear you say that."

"I won't," he laughed.

She laughed with him until asking, "So you're having a good time then?"

"Better than expected," he admitted, the idea sobering him up. "It's not Naboo, but I'm starting to make some friends and Mara's been rather reasonable despite everyone's opinion of her."

"That's good, I'm glad," his mother smiled warmly and he was reminded how much he missed all of them.

…

"What do you think?"

Luke slowly turned on his heels, "I… is it all mine?"

"That's the plan," Mara was clearly amused.

"They did this all in two weeks?" he was amazed.

"Beauty of the Empire," she grinned ear to ear, "we want something done, it gets done."

While Mara's personal Star Destroyer was parked and they spent their time on Coruscant's surface at the palace, engineers had come into their living quarters and literally ripped a new hole in it.

A fully functioning suite that connected at the kitchen was built next to Mara's. Luke had his own living room complete with holovid, two refereshers (a personal one with a water shower and a guest one). His bedroom was twice the size as what he had before and there were three extra rooms he could do with whatever he pleased.

Mara beat him to the punch and had one turned into a training/meditation area.

"Decorate as you like," she gestured to the walls which were a soft shade of off-white. "This is where you're going to be living for…" her words trailed off, it was definitely a hard concept to wrap around knowing you'd be in one place for the rest of your life. "Of course once everything dies down you can probably take an apartment somewhere, doubt anyone would notice."

"Yeah," he wasn't sure how to address the situation so instead went to messing about, checking the consoles, the repulsor sofa, the size of the rooms. "Thank you, you didn't have to do this."

"Yes, I did," she replied evenly, "if I had to watch you sit and mediate in front of the holovid for one more day I was going to shoot you."

Smartly Luke elected not to comment.

…

"Dad and Ben understood but Mace was furious," his sister admitted after a little cajoling. "He didn't quite understand you were trying to make a point, not incite a riot."

"Great," he let himself visibly sigh, Mace Windu was not one of the Jedi Masters you wanted to tick off.

"Master Yoda put him in his place though," Leia smirked. "Now that was one for the record books."

"Really?" that peaked his mood a bit.

"Oh yeah," she smirked and basically rubbed it into his face that she got to see it and he didn't. Typical sister stuff. "Mom says you're doing pretty good, making friends?"

"Yeah, a few," he thought of his sabaac partners. Tomorrow Bale was 'forcing' Luke into a marathon of Kali Mali's greatest holovids. It was slow going but the friendship was stretching out into other areas. Nettles, the player he had covered for, was into martial arts and now he had someone to spar with other than Mara.

Now that was an interesting turn, during one of Mara's meditation exercises Luke realized he needed to find something to help her burn off excess energy and when the best two out of three turned into the best five out of nine then into seven out of twelve… well…

"That's great," she smiled, happy for him, "told you things would turn out okay."

That garnered a raised eyebrow, "When did you ever say that?"

"At some point in the past that you don't remember," she ended with a little 'hah' sound.

He shook his head and let it go, "Hey, how are you and Captain Solo doing?"

"We're… good…" is she blushing?

…

Luke sat in his meditation room, there was soft matting on the floor and pretty much nothing else. That's the way he liked it. No distractions, no noise, simple peace and quiet.

"Gah," he stood up and began to pace a bit, unable to mediate but he wasn't sure why.

He walked to the shared kitchen to get himself some water to drink. As he stood at the sink he heard the gentle clacking and beeping of Mara's console from inside her office. There was also the random mutterings as she tried to sort something out. At one point she even picked up the holotransceiver and made a short call.

Luke chuckled to himself and went over to his usual place in front of Mara's holovid. Sitting on the floor he slowed his breathing and began to draw on the force to meditate. Soon he was at peace, no longer antsy, wary of the silence.

"I'm going to shoot you."

He grinned without opening his eyes, "Go right on ahead."

There was an indignant sigh and she turned, heading back to her office. She didn't return with a blaster so he figured he was safe.


	14. Chapter 14 - Guest Services

**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading! I know I'm not the best at replying to all the reviews but know that I do always appreciate them!

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k

**Chapter 14 – Guest Services**

Luke was nineteen when he was told about his role in the new peace agreement. He turned twenty shortly before the wedding and had a small celebration with his sister on Naboo. Next week would be his first life-day without her, or any of his family. The ship was scheduled to visit Corellia, a border world, however there was a trade negotiation on Dubrillion the same week which his mother and sister were attending. Mara could not go as she had previously agreed to serve as speaker on the opening of the next session of the Corellian Senate House.

Luke could have taken his X-Wing to Dubrillion but it was on the other side of Imperial space and it possibly wasn't the best of ideas to be flying around on his own with the current state of affairs in the galaxy. Mara offered to send an escort but then what kind of image would that send? All in all, he was looking forward to visiting Corellia.

Corellia was one of the few planets in the Empire who still had their own government and was generally free to do as they pleased. It's not like either the Empire or the New Republic could really tell them what to do. They generally tipped their colors to the Empire because of better taxes.

Now there was an issue. Because the Imperial government had a bigger hand in everything from corporations to governments they could afford to take fewer taxes as they had a larger profit base. The New Republic government did not, they only received funds from their government taxes and therefore took a bigger cut. It came down to how much control you wanted to give over to your government verses how much profit you wanted to make to determine which side of the border you wanted to fall.

This was another argument brewing, corporations defecting to the Imperial side for cheaper taxes and labor costs which was causing a drop in employment in some parts of the New Republic. However, the demand for raw materials in the Empire was rising and the New Republic wanted to place a larger tax on exported and imported goods in attempt to stop the exodus.

It was enough to make Luke's head spin. Why couldn't they simply agree on a larger corporation tax base which would cover both sides?

"I think it's a great idea," Mara didn't even look up from her desk.

"So it's okay with you then?" he questioned, a little more nervous than he thought he'd be.

"It's your living quarters, they're your friends," she wrote something down then tapped on the console, "why should I care if they stay one day or six."

"It's your ship," yes, they may be married but never once did he ever try to insinuate that the Star Destroyer was any part his, and he never would. Well, except for the area she gave to him but even then he'd give it back if she asked.

She looked up at him with a bit of a blank stare, "Are they going to highjack it and, dunno, plow it into Duro?"

"Duro? No," he cracked a smile, "Drall, maybe."

"That I can handle."

…

Now that's a sight you never see. Three X-Wings glided gracefully into the private docking bay of an Imperial Star Destroyer, sitting down next to Luke's X-Wing. The pilots emerged, jaws slightly gapping, Luke knew the feeling.

"Luke," Corran landed closest and was first to greet his friend. They clasps arms and patted each other on the back.

"Corran," he grinned ear to ear, "so good to see you!"

"It's been, what," Wedge said as he approached, "almost a year now?"

"Almost," Luke greeted the only non-Jedi of the group with a similar man-hug.

"I think this hanger is bigger than most of our ships," Kyle was spinning slowly on his heels as he approached.

Luke chuckled, "I'm begging to learn the Empire doesn't do anything by halves."

"I can see that," he whistled appreciatively.

A deck officer with a repulsor lift approached from the side.

"Let's grab your gear," Luke gestured to the officer, "let you get changed and then I'll give you a tour."

The bags had to go a different direction as the lift would not fit in some of the transfer tubes that were the quickest way to Luke's rooms. The redesign of the apartment included a separate door leading directly into his living area from the hallway. Of course, Mara and Gilad had access but not once did they use it.

"This all yours?" Wedge asked appreciatively.

"More than I need," Luke admitted, "but yeah."

"Nice," the pilot started to poke his head into the rooms, "these all guest bedrooms?"

Luke laughed, "No, I hadn't figured out what I wanted to do with them so when I got your holo saying you'd be able to meet up with me on Corellia I had some beds brought in, figured give you all your privacy. You'll have to share the refresher though."

"That's solar," Kyle patted him on the back, "this is definitely some of the better digs I've had to bunk at."

"Yeah, yeah," Corran waved him off, "no one wants to hear your story about the Ryloth incident… again."

"I call this one!" Wedge shouted from the room closest to the refresher.

The bags arrived shortly afterwards and the guys unpacked and changed into normal clothes. Luke had taken to not wearing his Jedi robes on the ship, only slacks, shirt, tunic on occasion, and of course his lightsaber. The men followed suit, except Wedge of course who had left his blaster in his ship for obvious reasons.

Luke started the tour of the Star Destroyer and amazed himself on how much he learned about the structure over the past year. Being friends with some of the crew helped. They would talk and he would listen, picking up tid bits here and there, little known facts and the like.

The crew knew Luke was having guests so they weren't terribly surprised to see the group passing through. A grudging self respect had built between him and the crew so the worse that happened was indifference to his presence.

When they got to the engine room Fomor had entirely too much fun explaining how the ship ran and functioned only because he was the best mechanic in the galaxy if he did say so himself.

"And this is the bridge," they walked into the large open space of the upper deck. Officers walked around, moving from sunken station to the next shouting orders as Captain Pellaeon had a heated conversation over the vid.

Something wasn't right.

"Skywalker," Landis called from his nav station off to the right.

The group headed over, walking down a small flight of stairs into _the pit_ as they called it. "What's up, Landis?"

"Protestors," he gestured to his screen, a few dozen smaller vessels were making their way towards two larger ones with a small escort. "The big ships are carrying Senators from Corellian Sector worlds."

Corran spoke up first, "They protesting Corellia's support of raising the import tax?"

"I believe so," Landis kind of shrugged. "I only know they've disabled a CorSec ship and are heading towards the big guys."

Wedge shook his head, "That's suicide. They might get some hits but the escort will take them out."

"CorSec's dispatched more ships," Landis added, "but they're too far away to intercept before contact."

This was not good.

The door to the bridge opened and Mara practically ran through it, almost skidding to a stop at the forward section. She went to Gilad. "Well?"

"It's no good," he shook his head, "CorSec ships inbound but it's going to be bloody."

"They won't stop?" she was referring to the protesters.

"They've cut all communications."

Mara took one short but deep breath, tapping her finger twice at her side, before. "Navigation, move to intercept, I want the _Chimera_ between the protestors and the dignitaries."

Landis and his fellow nav officers didn't even ask for confirmation of the order, their hands went dancing across the consoles, orders relayed and within seconds the ship started to move.

"Intercept in eighty-five seconds," Landis called out, "we'll be able to put ourselves between them."

"Deflector shields up," Gilad called out then turned to Mara, "Fighters?"

"Have the fighters prepped," she said loudly enough for the deck crew to hear, "but do not launch without our orders."

"Mara," Luke made his way back up onto the deck, taking long strides towards her. She jerked slightly, as if she hadn't seen him when she came in. "You're not going to fire on them, are you?"

"You think I'm that stupid?" she asked with a bit of a grin to her voice, turning back to the console.

"No, not usually," he admitted.

"Protestors are slowing down," Landis called out, "but not stopping."

"They might be able to crash through into one of those transport ships," Mara said mostly to herself it seemed, "but they would be crushed against our shield."

"How long would it take them to reroute around us?" Luke called back at Landis.

The man checked his calculations, "Not long enough for CorSec to get here."

"I don't want CorSec here," Mara turned to Luke. "Doesn't matter who fires first, just one person dies and we'll have one more _tragic accident_ on our hands and right now we can't afford it."

"Lady Jade," an officer called out, "we're in range."

"Lock on, reel them in," she ordered back.

"Deeks," Gilad called to an officer across the deck, "make sure we have a clear bay ready to receive our guests. They may be armed, stun only."

"You're going to capture them?" Luke wasn't sure if that was smart, brilliant, or crazy… maybe all three.

"As long as they don't try to run," she turned back to the console. "Communications, open a wide frequency narrow band in the ship's directions."

"Done," they shouted back, "open."

"This is Lady Jade aboard the Star Destroyer you are currently being hauled into," she spoke into the transmitter. "Whatever you had planned, it's over, it's done. No one's gotten hurt and I'd like to keep it that way. You come quietly and I promise you you'll be sent through the Imperial Courts, not Corellian."

The Corellian court system was not known as the most just of all systems in the galaxy. Sure, for most crimes it was about as effective as the rest, but if you get yourself on trial for something like attempting to attack government officials then you can pretty much expect to get the maximum plus extra and probably shipped off to Kessell.

"You want some help?" Corran said as the three of them came up behind him. "We're Corellian too, maybe we can talk sense into them if they try anything?"

Mara stared at them for a second as if she wasn't entirely sure what to make of the situation. "Are you pro or anti taxes?"

"We're pro not letting anyone get killed over taxes," Corran said matter of fact.

"Now, beautiful women or a good bottle of whiskey…" Kyle added, grinning like a charmer, "that's another story."

Mara shook her head, then pointed at Deeks, "Escort these gentlemen to the bay. Give them all considerations."

"Yes, ma'am," Deeks gestured for the guys to follow and they started to leave.

"You coming?" Corran asked.

"I'll catch up," he nodded, "I know the way."

"What?" Mara asked him after they left.

He turned to her and simply said, "Thank you."

She creased her brow, "For what?"

He smiled then made his way off the bridge.

…

By the time they got back to Luke's quarters they were tired and exhausted. Having a standoff with slightly crazy protestors does that to you.

Apparently Luke shared a kitchen with Jade but none of them could be bothered to cook so much as a sandwich. The food service on the ship never closed and served every meal at all points in the day to accommodate the different shifts. Luke went down to the service to speak to the cook about getting some food he could bring up leaving the guys to relax.

"I really thought that one guy was going to go for his blaster," Kyle admitted.

"He almost did," Corran was pouring himself a drink from the small bar Luke admitted he only had installed for them. "Good call brining up Padti, Wedge. I forgotten that parable."

"That's okay," Wedge grinned, flopping onto a plush seat, "I made it up. It's a mix of Chandrillan and Alderaanian proverbs, I simply added Padti's name."

"Nice one," Kyle nodded, then looked at his empty hand. "Why does this not have a drink in it?"

"Make your own," Corran told the man, heading over to another seat.

"Bah!" Kyle stood and made his way to the bar.

There was a moment of silence before Wedge felt brave enough to say it, "That was a pretty smart move by Jade."

"Yeah," Corran agreed, staring into his drink, "I was half expecting her to blow them out of the sky."

"They were presenting a clear and present danger," Kyle poured himself a drink, "she would have been within legal rights to do so."

"Yeah," Wedge let out a slow breath, "and did you see how they interacted?"

"Who?" Kyle leaned on the bar, "Luke and Jade?"

"Who else."

"How long has it been?" Corran was rhetorical. "Almost a year?"

"He said they were friends," Wedge rolled the thought around, "after a sort."

"What has that boy gotten himself into?" Kyle asked as he downed his drink.

"This is Luke we're talking about," Wedge pointed out the obvious. "Think it will be a problem?"

Corran thought about for a long moment. "Nah, I think he'll be fine."


	15. Chapter 15 - Unbalanced

**Chapter 15 – Unbalanced**

After the initial excitement of the protestors, the rest of his friend's visit went relatively smooth. There was a lot of catching up to be done, Luke learning more about the particular issues the New Republic were facing and their own incidents. The Jedi Order hadn't been this busy in years as they attempted to put out fires all over NR territory as well as what parts of the Empire they could get to without problem.

It was one big mess and Luke felt he should be doing more.

"I don't care," Mara waved him off, "you pick."

"I've seen it all," he mimicked, setting the star charts down on her desk.

She glared at him but sighed, picking up the top map, giving it a cursory look over. "I really don't know where to start. I suppose since we're on this side of the galaxy we go to Bakura and work our way around."

"Sounds good," he picked up the charts, tucking them under his arm, "I'll make the arrangements."

"Thank you," there was perhaps a crack of a smile on her lips and it was about as best he'd get from her.

Luke headed for the doors and made it to the threshold before Mara called out his name. He turned back, "Yeah?"

"Remember, this is an Imperial Star Destroyer," was there a touch of insecurity to her voice? "We won't be in imperial space anymore."

He met her eyes, not needing to have that explained to him. It was easy to have one 'enemy' traveling around the Empire with an army of Imperials escorting him… now that army was going to be wandering around the New Republic with only one Jedi escort. She wouldn't be able to pull rank or any stunts like the one with the protesters.

With the state of the galaxy right now… they could be walking into a sarlacc of trouble…

"Everything will be okay," he promised her, meaning every word.

…

"You're wearing that?" Jade came out of the refresher, the government had put them up in the nicest hotel on the planet with adjoining suites. She was dressed in a royal blue formal ball gown with the high cut she favored.

"We're back in New Republic space," he straighten his formal Jedi robes, it had been awhile since he wore them and they still fit perfectly.

"Right," she worked her jaw for a moment then straightened her back, "you're welcome here, I get it."

She turned away to pick up jewelry from the dressing table and Luke realized he screwed up, how could he have not seen that coming?

When they landed on Bakura he wore the more informal Jedi robes he had become used to wearing in the Empire but when they were asked to an official banquet he did as any good son of New Republic Senator Padme Naberrrie would and pulled his formal robes out of storage instead of wearing the stylized tuxedo he wore at Imperial events.

That first day on Mon Calamari, when Jade changed her imperial uniform to help him since he had to change out of his robes, yeah, he pretty much just threw that back in her face.

"I'm sorry," he walked up behind her, trying to catch her eyes in the mirror, "I didn't think."

"No, it's okay," she was putting on her second earring. "If it wouldn't be such a fashion faux pas I would put on my uniform, I hate dresses."

He tried not to chuckle, for a woman who hated them she wore them often enough to various balls and banquets. Even though she always picked the most modest cuts and styles there was no getting past the fact she looked kind of good in them. He told her that once, trying to be nice and supportive, didn't end well.

"I'll go change," he started to turn away.

"No," she practically shouted as she tried to hook a necklace around her neck, "we're almost late as it is, you look fine. Shavit"

"Here," he got tired of watching her fumble and took the two sides from her hands, hooking them together.

They caught each other's eyes in the mirror, his hands still on the back of her neck, standing well inside her personal space. To say it was awkward would be an understatement.

"Thank you," Mara coughed and moved, grabbing her bag from the table. "Let's go."

Luke debated between taking time to change and incurring more of Mara's wraith or sticking with the damage done. Shaking his head he followed her out of the suite towards the speeder waiting for them.

…

"I think you would agree with me that the import luxury tax is a knee-jerk reaction," Mara said to the Bakuran Prime Minister Yeorg Captison. Since Bakura was out on the edge of known space it was a rather self-sufficient planet that supported the New Republic but did not rely on it.

"It was pushed through without proper examination," the man politicked around the truth. "Whether or not this becomes a problem only time will tell."

"Indeed," she replied drolly, giving a knowing glance at Skywalker.

"Ah," the minister gestured as another figure approached the three of them. "May I introduce my niece, Gaeriel Captison."

The woman was about the same age as Mara, dressed in a white and gold ball gown, neck line well outside Mara's comfort zone but the blonde beauty didn't seem fussed.

"Gaeriel," the minister continued, "Lady Mara Jade-Skywalker of the Imperial Royal Family and Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker."

"Lady," Gaeriel bowed, even in the New Republic a member of royalty, no matter whose side they are on, were always given the proper, polite, respect. "Sir Knight."

"We were just discussing the luxury import tax," Yeorg said cheerfully.

"It's a temporary measure," she added coolly, "I give it six galactic months before the first amendment is proposed and four cycles before it's replaced completely."

"That's being generous," Mara replied.

"Well," Gaeriel smiled as if she had to, "the Jedi will try to make it work."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," Luke jumped into the conversation before Mara had a chance to even consider what the woman was saying.

"The Jedi claim neutrality," Gaeriel was apparently not the kind of woman to back down or not follow through, "yet you are basically the lap dogs of the New Republic Senate."

"We are supporting peace," he countered.

"By being a military force?" Gaeriel practically laughed. "Did you not learn that lesson during the Clone Wars? Your very presence upsets the natural order and your only course of action is to compound the problem."

"I thought you were pro-New Republic," Mara edged in. She didn't care for Jedi herself but it surprised her that anyone in the New Republic would be against them.

"I am pro-liberty," she locked eyes with Mara, something few people dared to do and Mara was starting to like this Gaeriel Captison. "The Empire may be 'more efficient and safe' but your lack of civil liberty and free commerce goes against the basic nature of every sentient being in the galaxy."

"There are many who prefer the strong hand of the Empire," Mara countered, "they would rather be safe and ensured the means of a living than be left to fight for scraps."

"Life must be fought for, and earned," Gaeriel said evenly, "or else it holds nor more meaning than a pebble picked from the beach."

Whatever she said must have struck a chord in Luke, "You believe in the Cosmic Balance."

Her eyes darted back to Luke and it was then Mara realized they were two different colors, one green, one blue. "Yes, and the Jedi are a blight on the Cosmic Balance."

"Yes, well," Yeorg, who was looking to be losing his exterior calm, managed to speak, "perhaps we've taken up too much of your time."

Mara smirked, "It was just about to get really interesting."

"I wouldn't mind continuing the conversation," Luke said politely, not taking his attention off Gaeriel. There was an intensity to him she hadn't really seen before but he wasn't angry or anything so obvious. "I've never had the chance to speak to a member of the Order of Cosmic Balance, I am sure there is much we can learn from each other."

"Perhaps," Gaeriel replied evenly using the same word Mara would use when she couldn't quite think of a good comeback at the moment. "Would you like to adjourn to the balcony?"

"Very well," Luke smiled, stepping aside and gesturing in that direction, "please, after you."

The two started to walk away and Mara was tempted to ease drop but that would be a social taboo plus there were plenty others she had to meet and greet with. Yeorg directed her towards the Minister of State and they continued their discussion of NR policies.

An hour later Mara was speaking to a couple of the senators when they led her out onto the large balcony to smoke as they discussed Corellia's tax hike. Luke was sitting on a bench with Gaeriel, a respectful distance between them as they discussed some aspect of balance, she was only catching every fourth word. He noticed Mara, gave her a smile which she acknowledged then he went back to the discussion which he seemed to be enjoying despite the obvious adversity.

As her conversation with the senators winded down one of them told her she absolutely had to speak to another minister and they proceeded to return to the ball room. Mara took one glance back at Luke and Gaeriel who were now laughing at something. While Mara had a begrudging respect for the woman who obviously stuck to her morals she was also overcome by the oddest desire to throw Gaeriel over the balcony and into the reflecting pool below. It was only one story, she wouldn't get hurt… too much…

Mara shook her head and made note to check the alcohol content and special properties of Bakuran wine. A couple of glasses and she'd already had enough.

…

"Sorry," Luke slipped into the speeder, Mara had been waiting on him for longer than was polite thanks to the fact that Luke, "got caught up."

"That's what they're calling it these days," his wife said drolly.

"Excuse me?" he raised one eyebrow, not sure if he heard her right as the speeder sped off towards the hotel they were staying at.

"Nothing," she shook her head and chuckled softly. "Enjoy your conversation with Miss Captison?"

"Oh, yes," he smiled despite himself. "I've always sought a greater understanding of the force, speaking to Gaeriel was very enlightening."

"Yes," Mara smirked, "enlightening."

He regarded his wife for a moment, "Am I missing something here?"

"Seems so," she laughed and the speeder stopped. Before Luke could say anything she slipped out and headed to the private lift. Luke barely made it in before the doors closed.

"Do you want to cancel tomorrow's meditation session?" she said before he was able ask what was all that back in the speeder.

"Why would I want to do that?" he asked.

"I assume you'd want to have lunch with Gaeriel," she said casually.

Luke started to get a little confused, he'd never seen her act quite like this, "No, she has meetings."

"So," Mara smirked again, "you thought about it."

The doors to the lift opened and Mara strolled out, entering the open lounge area of the two suites. She started to head towards her sleeping quarters and it clicked for Luke.

"Mara," he started to laugh at the absurdity of his words, "are you jealous someone took my attention away from you?"

"Hardly," she scoffed, turning around and crossing her arms. "More like glad, if I had to spend one more ball having to help you make small talk I'd—"

"Shoot me?" Luke finished the sentence for her, grinning. "And we know just how capable of that you are."

"Shove it out an airlock, Skywalker," Mara fumed, storming off.

Luke chuckled to himself, claiming victory, but not entirely sure what he won.


	16. Chapter 16 - The Invitation

**Thank you for reading!**

* * *

**C****hapter 16 – The Invitation**

"He actually went to dad and asked his permission," Leia was grinning ear to ear while shaking her head. "I so wish I could have seen that."

"Always said Solo was fearless," Luke chuckled, unimaginably happy for his sister.

"He has his moments," she practically giggled, something very unbecoming of a Jedi and now NR Senator, another reason to be happy for her.

"When's the wedding?" he asked, mentally cataloguing his schedule.

"Summer Solstice on Naboo," she smiled brightly.

"Great choice," he smiled back, covering his inner cringe. It was several galactic months away which was good for planning the wedding but he would be nowhere near Naboo at the time.

"I know Han will ask you to be a groomsman," Leia continued, unaware of his inner turmoil as he tried to figure out a way to move the schedule around, "Chewie's the best man of course, but say you'll do it?"

"Of course I will," he promised.

"Great!" she was absolutely on cloud nine but then said, "Oh, I've been doing nothing but talking about me, how have you been?"

"Good," he assured her, "I'm good."

"I'm so glad Corran, Wedge and Kyle got to meet up with you for your birthday," she chuckled, "I'm surprised they left Jade's Star Destroyer in one piece."

He chuckled, you can never be too careful when there are a several Corellians involved. "It was something, I tell you."

"Please, spare me the details," he held her hand up to the receiver for a second, laughing. "Still getting along with Jade?"

"Yeah," he didn't even have to think about it this time.

"Good," she smiled, then looked over her shoulder, "I got to go."

"It's okay sis," she was a very busy woman now, "I'll talk to you again soon."

"Count on it," she winked before shutting the connection.

…

"I'll take care of it," again, Mara didn't look up from her desk as she spoke. She did that often he noticed. At first he thought it was her being indignant to him, then he realized she was simply that busy.

"You sure?" he said cautiously.

Mara had a bad habit of simply doing things.

Back before he had his own area he made a comment about not wanting to bother her by holding a sabbac game in their kitchen since she often worked late into the night. Next thing he knew all five of his friends had their schedules changed and now they all had an open night the same time Mara would be with Gilad and the xo's doing their status reports which went late into the evening.

He hadn't asked her to do it, the fact she could never crossed his mind, it was simply an answer as to why he never had his turn at hosting and was always stealing Wheryn's from her bar. It didn't take long before he got into his own habit of being very cautious what he said around her, if he wasn't careful he could get Corellia renamed Bob simply out of a joke.

And he rarely ever asked her for anything directly, whiskey aside, but…

"It's not like your sister's wedding is going to come around again anytime soon," she seemed to say as an afterthought but then her fingers paused and she glanced at him, face scrunched up in question, "I mean, she didn't strike me as the flaky type but I suppose anything's possible."

Luke chuckled at her pragmatism. "I'm pretty sure this is a once in a lifetime performance."

She nodded then went back to whatever she was doing. "I'll sort the schedule out, you'll definitely be there for the wedding but I make no promises as to how much lead up we'll get."

"No, I appreciate it," he smiled though she wasn't looking at him, "thank you."

"It's fine," she brushed him off, he also discovered she had a difficult time with the more subtle points of simply being nice to a person who did not have some political or ulterior motive involved.

Luke started to step away but as he studied her small form hunched at the desk, something that had bothered him since, well, the beginning, bubbled up. "Mara."

"Yeah," she didn't look up.

"Anything I can help with?" he asked, gesturing to the stack of data chips on her desk.

"Nope," she casually answered.

"You sure?" there must have been an edge on his words because she stopped.

Glancing up at him she said, "Something wrong, Skywalker?"

He considered his answer, but then gave up, letting out a breath, "Not really."

"Feeling useless?" she got to the heart of it.

"A bit," he played off the shock of her so easily reading him.

"Don't be," she went back to typing, back to being indifferent.

A good minute or so passed when he realized this was all she had to say on the matter. Slightly confused he said, "It's not like I do anything around here."

"Other than keeping me from killing someone?" she referenced the fact that since they started their meditations she hadn't had a single episode of darkness and in general been a better mood much to the appreciation of her crew.

"Yeah," he was going to tread lightly but realized why should he? "You're in here every day doing more work than any normal person, royal or not, should have to do. Me, I play sabbac."

She remained indifferent. "Are you saying you want to get a job?"

"No," he thought about it, "yes, maybe."

Mara stopped whatever she was doing and leaned back in her seat. "Well, I have a job, it's called being a royal, an admiral, a political figure, and fairly rich. I rather much desire to trade with you but unfortunately it requires wearing a dress now and again and I've seen your legs… it just wouldn't work out."

"Thank you for the patronization," he shook his head, feeling somewhat silly now but not letting it show, "let me guess, you'll 'be here all night'."

She smirked at the fact he called her next move which also felt somewhat patronizing so he turned and left.

"Skywalker," she called out but he ignored her. A few seconds later her hand touched his arm to stop him in the middle of the living room, "Luke."

"You want to keep debasing me?" he swirled around on her, controlling his anger but his annoyance shining bright and pure.

"I'm…" she struggled with the words, "I'm sorry. Truth is, I really do envy you."

"Envy me?" he gave a short laugh, "I'm a Jedi, I'm supposed to be helping bring peace to the galaxy and you do more in a day than I do a month with my speeches."

"That?" she pointed back at her study, eyes wide and stressed at the same time. "That's bureaucratic nonsense. I speak and I get blown off as just another political gundark while you, you speak, people listen."

He didn't know what to say, trapped by the pain in her eyes, of a woman old before her years. Now he really felt like a gundark's a—

"Don't," she shook her head, "You're restless, you're a pilot without a mission and a Jedi without a cause. It's hardly unexpected for you to get cabin fever," had she heard what he was thinking? "I shouldn't have belittled you."

"I shouldn't have yelled at you," he apologized.

"Hardly the first time I've been yelled at," she smiled, just a touch, then took a breath. "I'll try to make some time on Naboo. I know you miss your family. Believe it or not but I can actually relate to that."

Luke opened his mouth but declined to ask and say everything he wanted to, instead he smiled softly, "Thank you."

She awkwardly nodded, stepping back as if looking for an escape route. He let her go, smart enough not to startle a wild animal when it was feeling vulnerable.

When she got to the door of her study she put her hand up to close the door, but then her eyes caught his. "If it's consolation, you bring peace to this ship… to me."

His jaw began to gape as he tried to understand what she just said but before he could formulate any type of reply the door slid shut.

Why was it every conversation he had with Mara lately left him more confused than the last?

…

Several days later Mara sat at her desk making arrangements to visit Naboo during the Solstice for Luke's sister's wedding. Her sister-in-law's wedding?

It was too weird a concept to wrap around her head so it was Senator Leia Skywalker's wedding.

Communications buzzed her.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Incoming communication from Leia Skywalker," the man replied crisply.

Normally they were good at their job, "Can you not find Luke? He's usually playing with his X-Wing about this time. Try the hanger comm or send a deck officer."

"Yes ma'am," the man replied, a little shaken, "thank you ma'am, but the Senator wishes to speak to you."

Mara stared at the comm as if it was going to bite her. In all the time her and Luke had been 'together', never once had any of his family or friends ever contacted her directly. This did not bode well.

"Patch her through," the tone of her voice gave an apology to the officer.

"Yes ma'am," the line cut and was replaced by a holo transmission of Senator Leia Skywalker, Jedi in her own right and twin sister to the man Mara called husband.

"Madam Senator," Mara replied diplomatically.

"Lady Jade," the brunette smiled. "I hope this isn't a bad time."

"It's always a bad time when one has stature such as ourselves," Mara replied honestly.

"Too true," she laughed. "This won't take long, promise. I only wanted to let you know that I spoke to Senator Pello and he's more than happy to cancel the Ryloth Conference."

Mara became very confused but showed no signs of that on her face, "Why would he do that?"

"Other than it's a pointless venture at this juncture seeing as the government has already voted to put the Ryloth amendments to a vote?"

Had they know? This was news to Jade, "When did this occur?"

"Late last night," the woman dropped her smile for a moment, letting the weary show through.

"Unless you're going to lift trade restrictions on metal ore," Jade snuck in, "then it won't do much good."

Leia didn't give up the game, "We believe we have a solution to all our problems."

"I'm sure," she smiled, Leia was obviously the more shrewd of the twins, not that this was necessarily a good thing. There was something to be said about Luke's honesty and determination.

"Well," Leia returned the smile, "I'll see you at the wedding then."

Wait, back up a second. "At the wedding?"

"Yes, my wedding," the senator raised an eyebrow, "you are going to attend."

"I…" no politics could get her out of this one, "I honestly wasn't planning to attend."

Leia gave her a quizzical look, "The invitation does have your name on it."

"I thought you were being polite," Mara said apologetically. "I didn't think you wanted a member of the Empire at your wedding."

After a moment of thought, Leia laughed, "Luke is in the wedding party, you don't want to be left alone in a room full of Jedi and high ranking New Republicans."

"I can assure you," Mara quickly added with a shrewd smile of her own, "I would not cause any disruptions but I cannot speak for your countrymen."

Leia raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"No disrespect," Mara shrugged, "but our countries, even our families, have a history that has not exactly been pleasant. I would think it only prudent that we avoid even the possibilities of there being an issue."

Luke's sister thought about this for a moment, "Nonsense, I think we can all get along, you and Luke do."

"By necessity," she pointed out.

"It's my wedding," Leia smiled, "I think that counts as a necessity."

"I suppose," Mara frowned.

"Good, see you there," the communication was cut and Mara was left with the feeling she just had one put over her.

She was beginning to understand why her grandfather was so frustrated with the Skywalker clan… in a way they put him to shame.


	17. Chapter 17 - Uninvited Guest

**Chapter 17 – Uninvited Guest**

Mara was quiet, it was the only way she knew how to be polite when she wanted nothing more than get into a debate with half of the Senators in attendance and flat out yell at the others. While there was a momentary pause when she entered the chapel everything went back to normal quickly. A few nods and greetings were passed, all very polite.

Politicians could act downright pleased to see each other if the situation called for it and all could agree this was one of those times.

The Jedi on the other hand… whole other story.

There was a group standing, talking, eyes watching her as she headed down the aisle and took a respectable seat, not to close, invading the family's area but not too far away as to be insulting since she was married to the bride's brother. The wedding wouldn't start yet for several minutes so she took the far aisle seat, pulling out a datapad.

"Lady Jade," an older voice said and Mara lifted her head to see a man with a grey beard, a Jedi she recognized. "May I sit down?"

"Shouldn't you be terrorizing the groom, Master Kenobi?" Mara asked dryly, gesturing for him to sit.

"Oh," he chuckled as he sat, "Anakin has that well in hand."

"Mmm," she replied, refraining from any detailed comment. There was a reason Palpatine chose Anakin to be his apprentice, of course, to say that it didn't really work out as planned for him was a bit of an understatement.

"It's nice of you to have come," the Jedi said conversationally.

That gave Mara a bit of a pause, "I really didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Oh," he chuckled again, "we always have a choice, even in the Empire."

Mara couldn't argue, although the Empire had a more controlling style of government, which limited free market and civil liberties, its citizens were not exactly left without personal freedoms. Individuals could still follow their dreams, they simply had to be adamant about them which meant those with casual interested did get weeded out.

This meant that nothing but the best ever succeeded in arts, industry, etc… though some in the New Republic would argue with that assessment.

"Come to keep an eye on me?" Mara said flatly, eyes glancing behind to the group of Jedi still hovering in the corner. She recognized a couple of them, Kyle Katarn and Corran Horn, friends of Luke.

"Would I need to?" he asked casually.

"Fear not," she laughed, smoothing out a wrinkle in her pale dress, "my plan was to sit here in peace, reading my datapad until the festivities began."

"I disturbed you then?" he frowned.

"It's what Jedi do," she couldn't help herself, giving the man a joking grin, "I won't hold it against you."

Mara almost panicked when she realized this older Jedi might not be so keen on her wit and banter as Luke was but he laughed, "You must keep Luke on his toes."

"Better there than my living room floor," she replied dryly, a hint of grin still on her lips.

Kenobi gave her a questioning look but ushers started to ask individuals to take their seats, the wedding was about to begin. "That sounds like a long story I'd be very interested in hearing, but perhaps at the reception. Please excuse me."

"Of course," Mara nodded, the man rising and moving off to join the other Jedi who moved to sit together. Luke said they would be performing some part of the ceremony later and as much as she didn't care for the Jedi it did make her curious.

"So," a woman slid into the vacated seat, she was about Mara's age, pretty with short dark hair. She seemed about as comfortable in her dress as Mara was in hers. She glanced over at Mara and gave her an annoyed look, "is this the abandoned date section?"

"Excuse me?"

"Mirax Terrik," the woman offered her hand which Mara politely shook, "significant other to Corran Horn."

"Ah," Mara quickly put it together that with Corran hanging out with the Jedi for their part of the ceremony she was, in essence, abandoned. "Well—"

Mara wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say but was interrupted as Mirax stood again to wave at another woman who was making her way with the crowd. She was human, exotic looking, with long hair running sleekly down her back.

"Hey, Jan," Mirax greeted her as she got to the seat.

"Thanks," she sat down carefully, "I was afraid I was going to get stuck next to the Senator from Ando."

"Eek," Mirax got comfortable in her seat, "Oh, Lady Jade, this is Jan Ors."

Jan reached across and offered her hand, "Soon to be wife of Kyle Katarn."

The two shook as Mirax laughed, "Keep dreaming, sister, I'll have Corran before you even get Kyle considering the remote possibility of marriage."

Jan raised one eyebrow, "Is that a challenge?"

Mirax thought about it for a second, "Oh, it's on."

Mara wasn't entirely sure what to make of the women but was saved from trying to figure it out by the beginning of the wedding. It was officiated by the small Jedi Master Yoda who said half the verses backwards and upside down.

The best part was a traditional Corellian custom where the officiate actually asks the father of the bride if he does indeed allow the groom to 'take your child into his home, becoming her guardian and protector' although it came out 'into his home, he takes your child, guardian and protector he will become, herm'.

Anakin Skywalker was quiet for what was probably only four seconds but seemed like ages to those gathered. Then Skywalker started to laugh, even snorting a little, before saying "best of luck to you, Solo, you're gonna need it".

Everyone laughed or snickered, even the little green guy. Later the Jedi performed a ceremony of light which symbolized the merging of two souls. It was pretty but Mara wasn't sure what the fuss was about, probably had to be a Jedi.

Every now and again Luke would catch her eye, nodding happily, she would return with a smile, not wanting to ruin the moment for him.

The Solo's 'first kiss' was definitely less chase than the one her and Luke shared at their wedding which garnered several cat calls, especially from the two ladies next to her. With that the happy couple went back down the aisle, followed by the groomsmen and bridesmaids.

"Oh," Mirax stood, "it's going to be ages before they get done with all the photos. Let's find Corran, Kyle, and the bar, not necessarily in that order."

Jan was fixing her shoe, "Sounds good to me, you coming Jade?"

Mara had just stood herself, smoothing out some blue trim on the dress. "Well, I guess I could use a drink."

"That's the spirit," Mirax winked at her, already turned around, on her toes, trying to see over the mass of people moving. "Huh."

Following her line of sight Mara saw a group of Jedi that included Kenobi, Corran and Kyle chatting animatedly then hurrying out the door. "Where are they going?"

"Probably to pull a gag on the couple?" Mirax suggested.

While Mara could see the younger Corellians doing such a thing she couldn't imagine Master Kenobi being a part of anything like that from what Luke had said of the man.

Jan rolled her eyes, "Ugh, typical men, leaving us to go play."

Mirax chuckled an affirmative then took the lead, the three of them heading out across a covered walkway to a large enclosed garden which served as the reception area. Trees with beautiful pink blossoms dotted the area, swaying gently while fountains gurgled away. The fountains were old, the stone smoothed from years of people leaning against and sitting on the edges, a sign now placed asking individuals to kindly refrain from touching or sitting on them.

Tables with name plates informed Mara that she would be sitting rather close to the main table with her two new friends and their dates, if they ever came out of hiding.

…

This was so not good.

Corran rushed with the other Jedi to the east entrance but it was too late.

"Why didn't you hold him here?" Kyle asked the guard in charge. "There are two of you!"

"He wouldn't take no for an answer," the guard was visibly annoyed, embarrassed and terrified at the same time. "We couldn't have done anything without physically detaining him."

"You're guards," Kyle gave them a duh look.

"No," Corran pulled his friend back, "they were right, otherwise they might have started an international incident."

Kyle looked at him, light going on inside his head, "Shavit."

"Knight Katarn," Kenobi admonished the man as he stood a few feet away, scanning the area. "We need to find him, fast."

"Yeah," the three moved down the path which led around the chapel.

"Mace is keeping watch over the wedding party," Kenobi informed them, "he won't be stupid enough to try anything there."

"We hope," Corran frowned, trying to sense out for the man's specific essence but the complex was swamped with people, it would take time to narrow it down. Then it clicked, "the reception area."

"Right," Kenobi agreed and they hurried toward the garden.

When they got there, they found the man standing, arguing with a guard, Senator Bel Ibis, and Knight Solusar. They were asking him to leave but the blusterous man kept shouting about having every right to be there, dance with the bride, and a few other random things as he waved his hand around wildly, nearly spilling his drink. Corran was sure he was on the tip side of being drunk as a runk.

"Prince Isolder," Kenobi said diplomatically, joining the party of those trying to talk the man down. "You're embarrassing yourself, please leave now."

"Or what?" he grinned at the older man, snickering.

The New Republic owed the Hapes Consortium a fair amount of money and the Prince and heir to the throne was apt to throw that little fact around. He was fairly enamored with Leia but she never returned any of his advances and her marrying a 'low-brow common pilot' had sent him into a tailspin resulting in several incidents. Due to this the Queen Mother Ta'a Chume politely refused her polite invitation to the wedding but would not publically admonish her son for his actions.

Sure, they could arrest Isolder or even mind-trick him into leaving but with the Queen Mother seemingly neutral over the matter no one wanted to be a part of the spark that sent the New Republic's biggest creditor into repo mode.

"Hah," Isolder stepped back, arms swung wide, "I have every right to give my _respects_ to the _happy couple_."

Corran opened his mouth to say something when the most frightening event occurred. Isolder kept stepping back… right into Lady Jade.

"Why you…" the man swung around and went absolutely pale faced.

Lady Jade stood, empty wine glass in hand, burgundy liquid spilled down the front of her pale dress. The entire area went quiet as she pulled lightly at the fabric to survey the damage. Her voice was low, cold, but carried substantial weight. "This… was an original Cervanti!"

"Ah," Isolder was dumbfounded, mouth gapping a bit, and he wasn't the only one.

"Hold this," she handed her glass to Mirax, Corran now realizing she was there. He was quickly distracted from her as Jade reached up and snatched Isolder by the ear, pulling his head down. "Look at what you've done, this will never come out!"

"Gah," Isolder blubbered.

"Agh," Jade was annoyed and started to lead the Prince by the ear over to a patch of light near one of the fountains for a better look at the damage. "You know how much this dress cost?"

Mirax wrapped an arm around Corran's waist. He managed to tear his eyes away from the bizarre scene long enough to get a look at his girlfriend who simply winked and gestured for him to keep watching.

"Original! Cervanti!" Jade bellowed adjusting in the light at the same time letting Isolder go.

It took a Jedi, or someone quick enough, to see what happened next. When she let go, twisting and pushing ever so slightly, nudging his foot innocently, sending him flying backwards… straight into the fountain.

Water splashed up taller than the Lady Jade and she became drenched as the man floundered around. She glared down at him, "Expect a bill!"

With that she stormed off, heading directly toward the group of men, back straight and as regal as possible being soaking wet, Nabooian wine all down her dress. Thankfully the dress had enough layers that despite being pale colored and wet she did not become indecent. Clearing her throat she said, "Gentlemen, please inform Knight Skywalker I will have to join him later in the reception as I need to change."

"Yeah," Kyle was the first to be able to speak, "sure."

"Thank you," she nodded properly and started to walk away, pausing at Mirax. "And thank you, you've been very insightful."

"Any time," Mirax was grinning.

Jade continued heading for the exit as some of the guards helped Isolder out of the fountain, putting cuffs around his wrists once he was able to stand.

"What just happened?" Bel Ibis asked everyone.

"Insightful?" Corran asked Mirax.

"Oh," she grinned, "Mara had a question and I knew the answer."

"What was the question?" three of them asked at once.

"The signs on the fountains," she gestured to the no-touch signs adorning all the old fountains, "she wondered if they were a polite request or law."

"And?" four of them asked this time, watching as Isolder was being hauled away.

"Those were commissioned by the first Queen of Naboo," Mirax said like they should know, "they are historical landmarks and therefore, yes, it's extremely illegal to go swimming in one."

…

Mara stood in her bedroom, wrapped up in a robe, hair lying limply around her shoulders, staring at her ruined dress as it lay on her bed. She didn't particularly care for dressing up but she abhorred waist and it was a very expensive dress. Perhaps she should send the Hapes Consortium a bill, oh what she would give to see the look on the Queen Mother's face.

"Mara?" there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called out to Luke, heading to her closet to look for a replacement. She grabbed the one she was planning on wearing at her audience with Queen Teribitha of Naboo two days later. Looks like she was going to have to go shopping, or maybe Padme Skywalker would be able to help her out, considering what she just did for them.

The door slid open and Luke walked in dressed in his most formal Jedi robes, she hadn't seen him in them since Bakura. "I heard what you did."

"Really," Mara moved over to the bed, laying the new dress beside the Cervanti. "What did you hear?"

"That you sacrificed an original Cervanti to save my sister's wedding," he was grinning ear to ear, making him look like a little kid.

"Oh, please," she waved him off, wondering if the sash was appropriate for a reception and decided no, so she tossed it aside, "I've been dreaming of ways to get that upstart of a Queen, Ta'a Chume. I may be only a Lady but I clearly outrank her… in so many ways."

Luke chuckled, walking up to view the ruined dress, "You know he'll be held in a Nabooian jail till at least tomorrow morning."

"Good," Mara allowed ever bit of satisfaction she felt come through.

"Mara," Luke took her shoulder lightly so she could face him, "for whatever reason you did it, thank you, because it was you and not a member of the New Republic, and it was a real law he broke, it won't come back on us, not if she wants to save face, so really, you did a great thing for the Republic today."

"I really should think these things through," she frowned but then a devilish smile spread across her lips, "so worth it though. Ta'a Chume can't do a damn thing."

They both laughed, deep infectious laughter that went on for a full two minutes leaving tears in the corner of their eyes.

"I," Mara caught her breath, "I should get dressed."

Luke nodded, "I'll wait for you."

"No," she put her hand on his chest, not really pushing him, the gesture more symbolic than anything, "I have to do my hair, makeup, you go back, have fun with your friends."

"Okay," he took her hand, holding it in both of his, "thank you, again, for everything."

Mara smiled, Luke leaned in, their lips met, simple, soft, but lingering, they both pulled away slowly, staring at each other, breathless and confused.

"I, ah," Luke stumbled over his words, "I should go now."

Mara cleared her throat, "Yeah, ah, yeah."

Luke backed away slowly, unsure of his steps, lifting his hand as if he was going to speak but then shook his head lightly, still confused, and headed out the door.

Mara knew exactly how he felt.


	18. Chapter 18 - Anchor

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing, we're only just over half-way done, still got a wild ride left yet!**

* * *

**Chapter 18 – Anchor**

For being a Jedi Knight, Luke sure didn't know how to center his thoughts and feelings into calm serenity as he left the hotel, jumping in a borrowed speeder. In fact, he sat at the controls for several moments forgetting why he was there, his mind severely occupied.

He kissed Mara, without thought or intention, he simply kissed her.

And she hadn't shot him? Hit him? Pushed him? Hurled insults at him?

Firing up the speeder he made his way down the familiar streets back to his sister's wedding. He was unimaginably happy for Leia but he simply couldn't get that kiss out of his head. It was so natural, so soft, inviting…

Luke shook his head hard before he got so distracted he ran the speeder off the road, he was already drifting left.

Arriving at the reception everyone was already seated as the first course of the dinner was about to be served. Luke informed the catering staff that Mara would be late and to forgo her dishes. Before stepping out into the open area he made sure to take a few breaths and clear his mind, focusing on how happy he was for Leia. It would do no good to tip off any of his family or friends that he was troubled, not now, this was Leia's moment.

Once he was walking up to the main table, feeling his sister's exuberance and joy saturating the force, it was easy to focus and forget about what happened earlier. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and Han a pat on the back before taking his seat between Chewbacca and Lando.

Everything was good until Mara showed up during desert. He knew her well enough that she would have wanted nothing better than to sneak into her seat but being so close to the front she had to walk past all the tables on the right side of the area. By now everyone knew what she had done, some having to be explained how she manipulated the laws of physics to get Isolder into the fountain. A fact that was conveniently left out of all witness statements, even by the guards who saw it happen.

Several individuals, including most of the wedding party and many Jedi, smiled and raised their glasses to her as she passed. She smiled and nodded gracefully but Luke could see the awkwardness he came to recognize when genuine affection was sent her way.

Mara slid into her seat between Corran and Jan Ors, several of the table's occupants laughing and toasting her, again, much to her discomfort but she wore it well, no one seeing it but him. A waiter approached, she said a few words then he hurried off. As the attendees received their deserts, Mara was given the main course, skipping all the fancy soups and salads. Desert ended, caf's served, Mara of course skipping the sweets as she wasn't one to eat sugars anyway.

A few speeches were made, the usual best wishes, etc. Everyone was reminded about the open bar, music would be played, everyone should enjoy themselves. The guests stood from their chairs and Luke realized his perfect excuse not to interact with his wife had suddenly come to an end. He had no idea what he was going to do now.

…

It's interesting to note that if anyone had been paying attention to Luke and Mara during this time they would have realized the two of them knew exactly what the other was doing right down to the fact Luke used the wrong spoon on the strizzleberry suttee and Mara pushed all the onis off to the side of her nerf steak… but the couple never once actually looked at each other.

…

"Free bar," Mirax grinned, "my favorite kind."

"You do know you're not actually allowed to _take_ the bar?" Jan asked as the group of them stood from the table.

Mirax laughed, "Watch me."

Mara glanced between the two as they bantered, she had come to realize that Mirax was actually one of the most level headed of them, she simply liked to play the part to put people off their game. Mara couldn't help but approve.

"So, I've been meaning to ask," Jan turned to Mara, "new dress, is that a Yoemon?"

"Yes," Mara said appreciatively, she might not like to dress up but she appreciated it when others noticed the work she put into it, "from her Summer collection."

"Thought so," Jan said with much satisfaction.

Mara saw Luke move from the main table in her peripherals, thinking fast she said, "I was going to wear this later in the week, I'm afraid I'll have to go dress shopping."

"Oh," Jan's face lit up, "there is a wonderful boutique down by the canals. You know the one I'm talking about," that last sentence was directed at Mirax.

"Yes, Malions," Mirax moved away from Corran and stood by Jan, "but you have got to stop wearing white and beige."

"Really?" Mara asked innocently.

"I'm sorry, but with your complexion?" Mirax said and Jan nodded in agreement.

Mara could see Luke was only a few strides away, "What do you think then?"

"I think this is our cue," Kyle said, grabbing Corran, "they are going to be at it for ages."

"You're just jealous, Kyle," Mirax called out, "what with your skinny little legs."

"Hey," he put his hand over his heart like it hurt.

"I'm sorry hun," Jan frowned, "you do have skinny little legs."

"Bah!" the Jedi waved them off, grabbing Corran and the newly arrived Luke by the arms, "Let's go find a sabbac game, I know someone is gonna start one."

Neither men had a chance to say anything as they were drug off, much to Mara's appreciation. She avoided looking at Luke, not sure what she'd see in his eyes at this close of a distance. What happened before, it was different, strange, unexpected, but not exactly unpleasant, nice even…

Her attention was distracted by the two women who started to drag her off as well. At first Mara was afraid her gambit to not speak to Luke would incur insufferable consequences but when the discussion turned to how Malion was the better dress maker because it was easier to hide a holdout blaster among her designs Mara actually started to enjoy herself.

It was some time later as the ladies sat at a table, an open 'liberated' bottle of whiskey at hand, that Leia Skywalker-Solo came up to the table, taking a seat.

"Leia," Mirax gave the woman a hug, "did I mention how beautiful you look?"

"Yes, many times," she smiled, "thank you."

"Gorgeous dress," Jan added, gesturing to the lace and poofs and low neckline, "so perfect."

"Thank you, Jan," the newlywed smiled, blushing a bit, then her eyes turned and settled on Mara.

Mara shrugged after a moment of silence passed, "What? I don't like poofy."

Leia laughed, "Yes, mother told me."

"It was a lovely ceremony," Mara admitted, trying not to think about Luke even though he seemed to pop into every fourth thought she had. She was afraid his twin might be able to pick up on that.

"Thank you," the woman smiled warmly, "and thank you for what you did."

"I had my own reasons," she played it off.

"So I heard," Leia said conspiratorially, "but regardless, thank you."

Mara was saved the awkwardness of responding by the groom appearing.

"There you are," Han grinned, putting his arms around her so she could lay her head back against his chest. He stared down at her, "You want to have the first dance or should I ask one of these lovely ladies?"

"I'm game," Mirax teased.

"Get your own, this one's mine," Leia laughed, walking off with Han to a newly opened area, tables removed and a large wooden deck laid down for a dance floor. A soft song began to play and the couple danced solitary on the floor. Eventually, once the song changed, Anakin and Padme Skywalker took to the floor along with several other couples.

Soon Mirax and Jan were led, or did they lead, to the dance floor leaving Mara at the table, alone, with Luke.

Luke cleared his throat, offering his hand, "Might as well."

As much as she wished to disagree, she couldn't. Out of political correctness they had shared many dances before, if anything to give them an excuse to avoid some politician, so it would be unusual for them to completely avoid doing so, especially given the events at hand.

Taking his hand she let herself be led onto the mildly crowed dance floor.

It was a simple waltz, noting terribly fancy, the kind of dance two seasoned socialites could perform in their sleep. That was a good thing as neither seemed very intent on the dance, or even looking each other straight in the eye.

Luke was the first to give in and sigh, "We have to talk about it sometime."

"Do we?" Mara asked out of habit, knowing he was right.

The infuriatingly knowledgeable man raised one eyebrow and a partial smirk.

"Fine," she gave in, "but not this instance, not here." Her eyes dotted around to a couple who danced close to them before twirling off, it was the maid of honor, a tall woman with long white hair.

"Have you seen the Baltrisian Gardens?" he asked and when she shook her head he continued, "I'll show you after the reception, it's a nice quiet place to talk."

"Sounds good," Mara managed a weak smile.

The waltz carried into its companion piece with only a brief pause, Luke kept going, sliding into the next dance and to avoid any awkwardness she followed his lead. In the corner of her eye she saw Han and Leia trade off with Anakin and Padme, Luke chuckling as the tall groomsman was overly polite to his new mother-in-law.

This broke the tension and for the rest of the dance Luke and Mara chatted casually about the wedding, the fact she actually agreed to go shopping with Mirax and Jan, and a few other random topics.

When the song ended, this time a full pause as they prepped for the next, Mara thought she would be free, but as they lowered their hands to bow away, two individuals appeared next to them.

"Luke," Anakin Skywalker stood next to Leia, one hand holding hers as they just finished the waltz, "your baby sister is all grown up."

"One minute!" Leia fumed, grinning. Mara guessed it was an old joke.

"Still my baby sister," Luke chuckled, "always will be."

"Why don't you two argue that point," Anakin passed Leia's hand over to Luke who took it as the music started up again, then he turned to Mara, "I'll take care of Lady Jade for you."

Luke nodded, bowing to Leia before leading her away. Mara stared at Anakin's offered hand and wasn't exactly sure what to do. If she excused herself it would be considerably rude, on a good day, as this was the father of the bride. On the other hand, this was Anakin Skywalker.

Her proper upbringing won out, she took his hand giving a curtsey as he bowed, then he led her around to start the waltz. This close to the man she saw the subtle features which echoed in Luke's face but she did not stare more than was polite.

She was being far more polite here than any other event she had attended. It was because of Luke.

That fact made her almost miss a step as they started the dance. Anakin had been Palpatine's chosen successor. He almost joined the dark side but when Palpatine revealed his plan, that he was Darth Sidious, Anakin couldn't go through it. He saw the manipulations and couldn't understand what Palpatine was trying to do by dissolving the Republic. He couldn't murder his friends.

Now she was dancing with him at his daughter's wedding. If the day couldn't get any more surreal…

"See you made friends," Anakin gestured over to where Corran and Kyle where trading off girlfriends for the next dance much to everyone's amusement.

"Ah," Mara was at a bit of a loss, why would he make such a statement? "They're nice?"

That garnered a raised eyebrow, "Nice?"

"Not what I was expecting," she replied honestly.

"Expecting of whom?" he managed to stare her directly in the eye, "of a Jedi's girlfriend or a New Republican?"

"All of the above?" Mara shot back easily, then stopped him from commenting. "They are good people, and strangely I am looking forward to shopping with them tomorrow," which was an odd thing for her to say but true, "but a few individuals does not a government make. Your senate is so bogged down right now, Mon Mothma is in general a good leader but doesn't have the strength to do what is required."

He furrowed his brow, must be where Luke got it, "You really think so?"

"Yes," she sighed, "your government is so afraid of giving up your precious freedoms that you forget a populace is like children and a parent must maintain control."

"You think of the Empire as one large day-care?" there was a curious turn to his lips.

"In a way," Mara shrugged. "However, I don't think this is the time, nor the place, to discuss this."

The Jedi Master smiled.

"What?" she asked a little sharply.

"Admiring your restraint is all," he kept grinning, defiantly echoes of Luke there, "your grandfather wasn't quite as reasonable."

Mara's lips drew into a very tight line as she carefully considered everything and in the end political correctness was only a cover, she wasn't going to ruin this day because of Luke. As confusing as that was, she took a long even breath before saying, "You're baiting. I thought that below Jedi."

"I thought Jedi where the lowest of the low?" he asked then laughed, shaking his head, "Sorry, ignore that, I couldn't help it."

Mara scowled despite herself, "Are all Skywalker males so… inexplicable and annoying?"

He grinned, "You'll have to ask my wife."

The song came to a close and this time she was not going to be caught up in more polite conversation and dance. Stepping back she performed another courtesy to disengage.

Anakin bowed, saying, "Thank you, for what you did earlier."

That made something snap in Mara, "Will people please stop thanking me," she at least managed to keep her voice small, confined, but her hands balled into fists.

He nodded, soberly, leaning in he said quietly, "You know, you are trying to help people because you actually want to help them."

"Of course I do," she was a bit confused.

"He only wanted the glory and the power," Anakin gave a very small but very honest smile, "you're nothing like him."

When he spoke those words it had never been more apparent to Mara how much she needed to hear them. Not from Gilad, not Beddine, not from her own face in the mirror, but from her Grandfather's greatest enemy. She never could quite believe it until then…

New music was about to start and Mara cleared her throat, politely excusing herself as Padme appeared at her husband's side for the next dance. It was a slightly awkward departure but she couldn't think of what to say and even a thank you didn't feel right. There was a knowing nod to the tilt of Anakin's head before he turned away, that was enough.

Mara walked to the bar, she needed a drink, too many thoughts in her head at once without a single anchor to cast.

…

Luke was feeling better, his sister was happy and it was infectious. Sure, he had a lot to discuss with Mara but they were reasonable adults, they would figure this out. They were good at that.

He found her standing near the fountain she had dumped Isolder in earlier, sipping on what had to be at least a triple whiskey. While to everyone else she probably seemed normal, content, though perhaps a little lost in thought, he saw the subtle signs of distress in her face.

"Mara?" he said quietly as he stood next to her.

"Luke," she turned her head towards him but didn't exactly look at him, "we need to talk."

"Okay," he furrowed his brow, glancing around, "we can leave now if you want."

"No," she shook her head and finally met his eyes, "have fun, it's a party, what I have to say has waited fourteen years, it can wait a little longer."

He opened his mouth but Kyle came up and grabbed him by the arm, "Sabbac game in five, we need you to referee, it's for your sister's garter."

"Wait, what?" he blurted as he was drug away from Mara who began to stare at the fountain again, sipping her drink. Fourteen years, she said? Didn't Palpatine die fourteen years ago?


	19. Chapter 19 - Ash and Fire

**Chapter 19 – Ash and Fire**

Eventually the sun went down, the reception lit by lanterns, peaceful except for the pockets of individuals still enjoying the evening. The bride and groom left long ago, as had several of the guests, but many of the family and close friends stayed behind to celebrate.

Luke and Mara were invited out with their friends, new and old, but seamlessly Mara commented on a previously mentioned early morning call with a senator via holocomm and needed to get back to her hotel. Since Luke promised to meet with his father and Kenobi the next day he bowed out as well.

Wordlessly they walked to their speeder, Luke insisting he rent one rather than use a service since he knew the streets better than most.

"I'm sorry," Mara said after a few minutes driving through the glittering streets, "it's a bit late for the garden isn't it."

He hadn't thought of that, he was a bit distracted at the time, no wonder she had accepted the offer so easily. "It's okay," he gave a small smile though she probably couldn't see it well as he kept his attention forward as he drove. "We can go another time."

"Sounds good," she said quietly, not bothering to hide her distracted state in front of him.

He wanted to say something but ran into several problems, for one, he was driving, two, he really didn't know where to start. What did she have to tell him about Palpatine, or whatever happened fourteen years ago? And what about their kiss? Is she trying to distract him?

Maybe he lost his moment to discuss the kiss and it would be another instance to be filed away less it becomes a problem.

It didn't take long for them to reach the hotel, The Regalia, the most posh and expensive hotel on all of Naboo, maybe even Republic, and he was only there to drop Mara off. Luke was staying with his parents at their lake house, Mara was offered a spare room but she politely refused and it wasn't a subject he wanted to push.

Pulling up to the front the valet opened the side door for Mara to exit, not bothering to come around as he knew Luke would be continuing on. As Luke watched her depart, another speeder pulling in behind him, waiting for him to move, he made a split second decision.

Hopping out of the speeder he told the valet to park it but he wouldn't be long. With a quick jog he easily caught up with Mara in the lobby.

"Luke?" she questioned, swiping her keychip at the private elevator.

"When I was here earlier," he gave an apologetic shrug, "I left a datapad."

It was a blatant lie, he knew she saw that, but she shrugged and walked into the lift. He followed and quietly they headed up to her room. When they got there Mara marched across the room, tossing aside her clutch, shoes, jewelry and about anything else that would come off without making her indecent. She stood with her back to him on the balcony.

"Mara?" he asked, the entirety of his plan getting him up there, now he was winging it.

"I killed him," she said bluntly, casually even.

"What?" was his only response, not sure he heard her right.

His wife turned and stared at him as if speaking to a child who needed to be informed of the same fact for the fifteenth time. "I killed him."

"Killed who?" Luke thought he knew the answer but wasn't going to make an assumption.

"Palpatine," she chided him, slowly walking forward if almost in a daze, "I took his lightsaber which he stupidly put in my hand and I ran him through with it."

Luke was stunned, he knew Palpatine died under mysterious circumstances and the Republic always guessed it had been an inside job by the Council… but Mara… "You… killed him…"

"Did I stutter?" she was now inches from his face, an odd blankness in her eyes. She had to have been, what, eight when this happened?

"Mara," he said softly, sadly, reaching up to touch her face but she moved away.

"Oh, please," she laughed, turning away from him, "don't give me the 'poor little girl' act. Seen it."

"Mara, that's not—"

"Let me tell you something," she spun around, finger pointing right at him, encroaching on his space, "he told me I had to be strong, that I had to do what needed to be done, and you know what, I did exactly that. I was _strong_!" she yelled, poking him in the chest causing him to take steps back. "I did what _had to be done_!"

"Mara," he tried not to shout back wanting to calm her down, afraid the darkness would come back.

"I am _not_ some poor little girl!" tears began streaming from her eyes but she didn't take any notice. She started to wave her arms wildly in the air, "He's not even my real grandfather!"

That made Luke pause, "What?"

She started to laugh, backing away, running her hands through her hair, "He murdered everyone, my whole family, all of them and 'adopted' me," she was laughing so hard now she leaned over at the waist, hands on her knees, catching her breath. "Said I had to be strong, it needed to be done."

Realization dawned on Luke, "That's when you killed him…"

Laughing still, though now it was short and breathless, "Oh, yes, he gave me his lightsaber, expected me to be his dutiful little granddaughter…" her voice went cold, "and I showed him just how strong I am."

"The darkness…" it was coming together.

"His last little gift before he died," Mara stood up but she wavered, as if tipsy or light headed. "He told me he was proud… that I was just like him…"

With that she collapsed onto the floor, Luke trying to rush forward to catch her but not fast enough. When he reached her she was curled up, crying, and offered no resistance as he gathered her up into his arms. Her body lay limply against him and he quickly carried her to the bedroom, using the Force to pull the blankets down before laying her on the soft mattress.

"I've tried," she said quietly, "tried so hard not to be like him but I had to be strong… I had to hold the Empire together… I had to protect the people…"

"Ssshh," Luke pulled wet strands of hair from her face, "you're nothing like him, you know that, you've always known that."

"Never believed…" she was drifting asleep, eyes closing. "The darkness… always there…"

"No," he said quietly, kissing her forehead lightly, "no more darkness."

"No more darkness…" she slurred the last word, breathing slowing down into a slumber.

Luke slumped, turning and sitting on the floor, his back against the bed. He'd never seen his wife in such a state, he doubted anyone had ever seen her like this, except maybe Gilad who had come to be a father figure to her after Palpatine's death. A death she caused.

In her anger she killed the most dangerous, deadly, monstrous man in the galaxy and she carried that fear, that guilt, that horror with her all this time, the burden all her own. It was easy to see how an eight year old girl would find the moral grey areas of what she did a confusing maze… especially when the object of her hate convinced her she was as equally evil.

No, he would not pity her, she couldn't handle that, it's not what she needed.

Standing up he gazed down at her sleeping form, so small and vulnerable looking with her tear streaked face and tattered hair. He wanted to protect her and he knew her well enough to know exactly how do to do that.

Grabbing a datapad he left her a quick note on the nightstand, tucked her in, kissed her again on the forehead and then turned out the lights and left, heading back to the lake house.

…

Doesn't matter how tired, physically or emotionally, Mara was, when the alarm rang she was up, that's it. Her eyes snapped open but she didn't move, her body ached from being a dead weight the moment she fell asleep the night before….

Mara took several even breaths as her heart raced, making herself sit up slowly, scanning the room for tale of Skywalker. Seeing a datapad she knew she hadn't left on her nightstand she picked it up.

_Dinner after you're done shopping, call me when you're ready. _– Luke

Sighing, Mara leaned back in bed, calming down now knew she didn't have to face Luke right away. She wasn't exactly sure what happened last night herself, how could she explain it to him?

When Anakin told her what she desperately, but unknowingly, needed to hear it snapped something in her brain, clearing out a fog she'd never known existed because it had always been there. She spent the rest of the night trying to sort out the implications while being the perfect guest. It was exhausting as she wanted nothing better than to… what?

Run? Scream? Laugh? Rejoice?

Luke followed her and that was the last straw, she had to let it out, she had to tell someone and she trusted Luke. Trusted him enough with her secret… trusted a New Republican with a secret that could tear down the Empire.

He'd never tell, that Mara was sure of.

Looking into those baby blues while he tried to hold back his sympathy and care, that Mara could not do, not right now.

Vulnerability was not something she could handle, not in herself, it was a recognized weakness which itself is a vulnerability, compounding the problem.

Taking a deep breath she drug herself out of the bed and to the refresher, leaving her dress somewhere between. Not bothering to look at herself she stepped into the shower. When she was done she managed to look something of herself again.

The question of what happened the night before continued to swirl at the back of her mind as she took her holocomm meeting, again, putting forward the perfect mask of a person who has it all held together.

But does she have it held together?

Her government, _her home_, was crumbling into ash right in front of her eyes under the weight of the very peace she had spent years and sacrificed much to obtain.

Once the meeting was over she sat in her chair, laughing, laughing so much she was crying.

…

Luke met his father and Ben in the morning at the lake house garden, catching up on many of the changes and incidents that had happened since the peace treaty. He knew it had been a troublesome transition but never had he imagined it to be as rocky as it was.

The Jedi had put out many small fires, in some cases literal fires, on the planets who were either taking too much advantage or screaming about those who were.

"It's a scale higher than chaos it seems," Anakin grumbled. "Our goal was the opposite."

"Things are rough now," Ben chided, "but though hard work we can make it right."

"Can we?" Luke said, it occurring to him that two years ago he wouldn't have dared.

Anakin's eyebrow raised, "Your thoughts?"

"Well," the younger man took a breath, "both governments are suffering fatal weak points. The Republic is not strong enough to maintain control and offers too much freedom while the Empire is able to control the populace but is entirely too restrictive. This is why on the surface the Empire seems to be faring better but is as much on the precipice of disaster as the other. Right now we're putting sealant on the cracks when what we really need is a new coolant pipe. "

His father exchanged glances with Ben before shrugging, "The mechanical reference I get, the rest…. he gets it from his mother."

"Am I wrong?" he challenged the two.

"Unfortunately," Ben sighed, "no."

Anakin gave a sarcastic laugh, "The galaxy was more stable when we were shooting at each other."

The older master shook his head, sitting down on a stone bench, "War has been the status quo for years, longer than this young man has been living, change is rarely easily."

"Then let us talk about something other than war for once," his father turned to Luke. "Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?"

"Sorry," he politely declined, keeping everything loose but neatly wrapped in his mind, no point in drawing suspicion by locking down tight. "I have previous arrangements with Mara."

"Ah, yes," Anakin chuckled, "how is the arrangement working out?"

"It's been…" he paused, trying to put the last two years into words, "mutually beneficial. I've seen much of the Empire, been able to publically address issues, and the ship has its own laundry service."

"Yes," Ben said gravely, "we know what happens when you try to do the laundry yourself."

"The temple laundry room," Anakin shook his head sadly, "still bears the marks of that tragedy."

"Yeah, well, laundry aside," he was never going to live that down, "I wish there was more I could do."

"There is always more we wish we could do," Ben said with much sympathy, "but trust in the Force and you will eventually realize you have done just enough."

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," Luke gave a short respective bow to the elder man. "I have let the Force guide me but sometimes it remains quiet, giving me a chance to make my own decisions."

"Because it already knows you will make the right one," Ben nodded, a slight but subtle glance shot in Anakin's direction.

"Cute," Anakin mused, rolling his eyes. "So, Luke, if it's mutually beneficial, then what does Jade get out of it?"

Luke opened his mouth to answer but paused, again trying to figure out how to define his relationship with Mara, in the end he settled on, "She has a friend that she can trust, who will never judge her, and who is simply not afraid of her."

…

"Oh wow, that is gorgeous," Mirax said breathlessly as Jan was checking herself out in the mirror.

"You don't think it's too low in the back?" she asked, moving her hair away to reveal a dip that plunged to the small of her back.

"Dunno," Mirax tilted her head, then turned towards Mara who was helping herself to a glass of wine. Going shopping with royalty does have its perks.

Normally Mirax and Jan would use the more public dressing area but once the store owner saw Her Imperial Royal Highness Lady Mara Jade they were whisked away to a private fitting room. The sitting area had plush seats, a holovid, and large angled mirrors plus a spacious room for the actual changing. They were offered wine, food, and dresses were brought to them, they didn't have to go browsing the racks. It was a girl's shopping heaven.

"What do you think?" she asked Mara.

The Lady squinted a bit then said, "For a formal occasion, too low, for seducing Kyle into a marriage proposal, just right."

The three of them laughed and Jan went back into the fitting room to change into the next dress. They had picked one out for Mara a long time ago, the woman was decidedly unadventurous when it came to shopping but then it was a dress to wear to meet the Queen. Mara was smart though, knew her tactical planning and politics, usually employing both at the same time. They chatted about a number of topics from inane to scandalous but there was one thing Mirax was dying to know.

"So," Mirax poured herself another glass of wine, "Luke is pretty cute."

"Excuse me?" there was a stuttered laugh in the words spoken a bit too quickly for Mirax's taste.

"You've spent two years with the man," Mirax drolled, "you should have an opinion about his general aesthetic appearance."

"Well, not that it's any of your business," she cleared her throat a little, "but I do recognize the fact that Luke would be considered _aesthetically pleasing_ to most human women of this galaxy."

Mirax laughed, "Spoken like a true politician."

"He may be my husband," Mara defended, "but I don't think of him like that."

"Really?" she thought about that for a second, then said, "so you two have never, you know, taken advantage of the situation?"

It took another second for Mara to catch her meaning, "No, of course not. He's my friend."

"Huh," Mirax sat back in her seat, "I just got the feeling you two were closer than that."

"Well, we are close," the words were a bit shaky, as if she had never attempted to define the relationship before, "but not _that_ close."

"Oh," Mirax shrugged it off, she's usually pretty good at reading situations but she'd get one wrong now and again, no one is perfect.

Although, seeing the well hidden look in Mara's eyes… it's possible she struck flint and something caught fire.


	20. Chapter 20 - Nonsensical,Pointless,Inane

**Once again, thank you so much for reading, and double thanks for reviewing! I appreciate you all! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 20 – Nonsensical, Pointless, and Inane**

Luke picked Mara up at the hotel after she called. It was a little later than he expected but apparently her shopping trip went long. It was nice to see Mara making friends, she didn't really have any on the ship. Of course, to her the crew was staff and subordinates, such things would be frowned upon. That didn't stop the fact that she cared about each and every one of them, she simply did not show it, maintained that professional line.

He discovered early that she was really good compartmentalizing her emotions and responsibilities.

Silently they traveled to _The Rialto Lagoon_, one of the nicest restaurants on the canal, overlooking glittering water lit by the old oil lamps. It was the kind of place you went if you were either rich or there was a special occasion, a birthday or anniversary. Luke was none of the above but he liked the idea of the private balcony the _Lagoon_ provided.

They were seated in a small, cozy table overlooking the canal, the royal palace visible in the distance. There was a slight shimmer from the invisible barrier which kept out the elements and any possible eaves droppers.

A human waiter took their orders, Luke having a nerf steak marinated in something he couldn't pronounce and Mara settling for a light pasta. They chatted aimlessly until their food arrive, general stuff about the view, her shopping trip, the upcoming visit to see the Queen.

"I've not met the new Queen, actually," Luke commented as his steak was sat in front of him. It had a purple sauce but it looked safe enough to eat.

"I would think of all people you would have," Mara nodded politely to her server who bowed and moved away, "what with your mother's connections and all."

"Queen Teribitha was voted in about a year before…," he placed his napkin on his lap as he tried to figure out how he wanted to define their relationship and settled on gesturing between them and saying, "this. I was at her coronation but wasn't formally introduced. Missed a dinner with her due to my training and it never came back up again."

"Ah," Mara mixed her pasta around, "well, we will have a formal dinner with her tomorrow. Wear your formal Jedi robes."

Luke was cutting his steak and paused mid slice, staring up at her, "I figured I'd wear my usual formal tux."

"Nonsense, wear your robes," she popped a forkful of pasta in her mouth, chewing it quickly, not bothering to look at him until she was done. As she glanced over her wine glass she must have seen the look on his face because she sighed. "The Queen is very pro-Jedi, I wouldn't want to insult her by having you wear anything less."

It was a reasonable request, however, "I thought we had an agreement."

"No," Mara pursed her lips in thought as she shook her head slowly, "don't believe we ever made a contractual arrangement, written or verbal."

"It was implied," he sat down his utensils and spread his hands, "after you changed on Mon Cal."

"Even if that was true," she started to stab at her pasta salad, not overtly but noticeable enough, "then you negated the contract at Bakura."

Luke let out a short laugh, "I knew that bothered you."

"It's a nonsensical," she set her fork down sharply, "pointless and otherwise inane nonissue. I was only trying to be nice on Mon Cal. You turned it into an issue."

"You let me," he said quietly, "and you encouraged it. You didn't have to… be nice to me."

"What was I going to do?" she scowled, "We both worked too hard and done too much to ruin everything because…" her words faded into a frustrated growl.

Luke avoided the temptation to smile. "Are you speaking of the clothes, or the kiss?"

"Nonsensical, pointless, and inane," she closed her eyes as spoke as if she was repeating a mantra.

Hazarding his health, Luke reached out and gently took Mara's hand into his own. "Mara."

Her eyes fluttered opened and he wasn't sure if she was going to cry or stab him with her fork.

"I know you've been through a lot, emotionally, lately," he referenced the other bantha in the room, her admittance of being the downfall of Palpatine, "and I'm not going to set here and shower you with pity and false platitudes because I know you're strong enough to get through this on your own," he took a small breath, letting that sink in, "but if you _want_ help I will be right here for you because, to me, that kiss was not nonsensical, pointless, or inane."

And there it was, he finally admitted out loud what had been simmering in his mind all afternoon. He had feelings for Mara that went beyond friendly, how far he couldn't be sure at this juncture, but knowing that she hurt made him hurt and he would do almost anything to make her better. If that meant walking away, then he would. If it meant burying his burgeoning emotions, hand him a shovel.

Mara was quiet for a moment, staring down at their intertwined hands, then her eyes flitted up, "What was it? To you?"

Luke was suddenly at a loss for words, how could place labels on such feelings? Seeing her troubled expression he knew he had to try. "Soft, warm, beautiful, breathtaking."

Instantly she looked away, her normally controlled breathing only slightly elevated, not that others would notice. Moments later she pulled her hand away from his. "I don't know, Luke, I just don't know."

"It's okay, I understand," and he did. Mara was a woman who liked order, control, no surprises. If she was feeling the same for him as he was for her then the turbulent emotions would be even harder for her to tackle. If she didn't feel anything for him then knowing know that he had feelings for her would change the complete dynamic of their relationship, one that wasn't exactly stable to begin with considering the way it started.

"Just," she cleared her throat, taking a sip of wine and returning to her normally collective self, "wear your robes, no argument."

That was as far as he dared push for one night because as strong as his wife was, in some ways she was as delicate the grains of sand in an hourglass.

…

Dinner with the Queen went as well as could be expected, Mara thought. The woman was one of the most vocally pro-Republic, pro-Jedi, pro-Free Market as they got outside the New Republic senate. But as with much of Naboo's inhabitants, she was as graceful and non-antagonizing as they came. Was there tension, sure, but hardly a single veiled insult was passed between them.

Luke was the perfect statesmen, letting his position be known without causing incident, his mother would be proud. It was enough to impress Mara as well, a feat that Luke had been accomplishing more and more lately.

The man had adapted remarkably well to the situation they were put in. Sure, there had been a few hiccups, enough to show that he wasn't a time bomb of repressed emotions about to go off… like other people she could name. She had to admire his strength, and his boldness. Mara could think of no other man who would pull even half the stuff he did in her presence, from defying her orders on Coruscant to fighting her in her anger to kissing her unbidden, not once, but twice.

As they traveled back to the hotel after the Queen's dinner Mara's thoughts kept going back to that first kiss when he was trying to distract her. It succeeded, and she didn't punish him for his transgression. Anyone else and they would have discovered she held a vibroblade tucked up her sleeve, a weapon she forgot about in the moment.

She glanced over at Luke as he drove the speeder, the lights of the street bouncing off his face causing the angled lines of his jaw and cheeks to move. He really was a handsome man.

Mentally chiding herself she faced forward, trying to put the whole ridiculous situation out of her mind. That was the problem though, no matter what, it was there, waiting for a moment when she wasn't otherwise preoccupied to pop up and ask 'what does it all mean?' It was a question she tried to answer with a simple 'nothing' but she knew it was more than that.

But what?

Why had things gotten so complicated? It was a simple arrangement. Glorified roommates. Spreading peace by example.

Instead her government was threatening to collapse along with the Republic, the balance more volatile by the day, and all she could think about was her and Luke.

He cared about her, that was clearly stated along with an underlying note of desire. A feeling she reciprocated but without truly understanding why. Was it because she cared about him or because he was there? The cynical side of her mind, the side that kept her three steps ahead and alive, told her this was a bad idea. But every other part of her screamed that for once in her life she had an equal in front of her who made her feel… something… and she was obligated to figure out whatever that was.

"Here we go," he said as they pulled up to the hotel, Mara almost glad to have the chance to get away from him and think.

"We leave early in the morning," she reminded him.

"Already packed," he nodded, then frowned. "Shavit, forgot to send a clearance request for tomorrow for the X-Wing," he glanced at his chrono, "but if I send one now I should be able to make the cutoff."

Sighing, it was exactly like him to wait till last minute, "Come up, you can use my holocomm."

"Thanks," Luke jumped out of the speeder as she exited, passing over the control chip to the valet, informing him he wouldn't be long.

They were silent as they passed the lobby into the elevator, then on the ride up. True to Luke's word he hadn't said anything since the dinner about his feelings, her feelings, or anything that could be construed as pitying her. He didn't even ask about Palpatine though she got the feeling he really wanted to know more about the story, if for his own curiosity alone. But as he had nothing right to say he wisely said nothing.

Again, she had no idea what to make of him, her mind a confliction of contradictions.

"Shouldn't take long," he smiled and headed over to the holocomm when they entered the suite.

"Take as long as you need," she'd rather he got it right than have to sort a mess out tomorrow.

As he tapped at the console she headed to her room, closing the door before slipping off the new dress and laying it to the side to be put up later. Next came some select annoying undergarments which were likely created as torture devices in some ancient past which some historian then misinterpreted as fashion. Grabbing a robe she slipped it on and tied it tight, not sure if she wanted to shower now or in the morning.

"Mara?" she heard Luke call her name through the door.

Walking over to it she slapped the panel, as it slid open she said, "Yes?"

"It's asking for a Republican transponder code for the receiving vehicle," he frowned, "I thought you took care of that."

"Ugh, I did," Mara sighed, pushing past him over to the holocomm. It took two minutes of Mara rerouting the clearance request through two security offices, then a five minute audio holocall to a man at the flight terminal who quickly cleared up any mistakes, before it was all said and done.

"Sorry about that," he said and she could practically see the frown on his face before she turned around.

"It's not your fault," she shook her head, "I should have double checked all the clearance codes this morning, I've…" did she really want to admit this? "I've had a lot on my mind."

"It's okay," he smiled lightly, not patronizing, "it happens."

"Not to me," Mara practically growled.

"Everyone makes mistakes," he shrugged, playing it off, still without the patronizing but that only served to make her angrier.

"Yeah, sure," she spat back at him, "like the kiss. All big mistakes."

Luke's jaw opened and his eyes fell but he took a breath and stepped back. "Yeah, we all make mistakes. Seeya in the morning."

As he turned and headed towards the door Mara felt a sudden heaviness in her chest. She hurt him, and she knew her words would do that but she said them anyway. What had they agreed when they married? That they were in this together?

No wonder their governments were falling apart if her and Luke were going to crumble at the first sign of complications.

"Luke," she called out, jogging the short distance, catching up with him before he reached the door's control. "Luke, I'm sorry." He turned as she grabbed his shoulder, staring down at her now that she was flat footed.

"You made your position clear," he said with a sad resignation to his voice, "it's fine."

"No, it's not fine," she stepped a little closer, making sure he could see the regret in her eyes, "I'm tired, exhausted, you didn't deserve that."

"It's fine," he said again, maybe he thought if he said it enough times it would be true. "We're both… it's been a long week," he furrowed his brow, "I… I dunno…"

She stared up into his eyes, they were as confused as she felt but there was a strength she recognized, that she admired. Both of them were in the middle of an impossible situation, in so many ways, but they would figure it out.

Luke bent his head down, Mara raised on her toes, their lips meeting, soft, gentle, arms snaking around each other as they held together for was likely seconds but felt like an eternity.

They pulled apart, the same flushed and confused expressions on their face as before, only this time something more sparked between them. Luke's lips descended on Mara's again, hungry, fighting against her own need to touch him, taste him.

Luke wrapped his arms tighter around her, lifting her feet from the floor as he spun her around, pressing her against the wall. As he crushed into her, their lips still fighting for dominance, Mara reveled in the feeling of his body pressing against her. She instinctively lifted one leg to hook around him, Luke reaching down to grab her thigh.

His bare hand met bare flesh and Luke struggled into a dead stop, dropping her leg and pulling to a hands width away.

"Luke?" Mara said breathlessly, her thoughts a jumble and her stomach doing gymnastics in her throat.

"Not like this," he said hoarsely, backing off farther, slowly putting distance between them. "Not this way."

Mara leaned against the wall, thankful for the stable structure. Confused more than ever she laughed, "What other way is there?"

Luke took a minute, taking several breaths, before saying, "You're emotional."

"Oh," she laughed again, mostly cause she wasn't sure if she should be crying, or yelling, or any one of a million of emotions, "I'm something, that's for sure."

"But that's not you, Mara," he said sadly, "you do this now, an emotional reaction without any thought or reason, and you'll regret it. It's not your in your nature to do it any other way."

She shook her head, mimicking his gesture from before, referencing the air between them, "But isn't this all about emotion, that's the point?"

Luke stepped closer, his normally bright blue eyes darkened with desire, "I know why _I_ want you, why I feel this way about you, do you know why _you_ want to do this?"

With his words she realized she didn't. There was a swelling of desire and emotion that demanded action be taken without so much as asking for a proper audience with the rest of her and that was a breach of protocol she could not stand for.

Did she care about Luke? Was she reacting to events? She couldn't even be sure this wasn't just basic hormones running rampant. She simply didn't know.

And Luke was right, if she let her emotions take over so brashly she would never let herself accept what happened as anything other than a mistake.

She had to figure what _this_ was first and foremost.

"Take your time," Luke said softly, "I'll always be here," and with that he quickly kissed her on the forehead as he hit the door controls, disappearing as swiftly as the wind before he changed his definition of being noble.

He could have taken advantage but he didn't. He knew her so well that he could read the situation better than she could.

And she hated him for that.


	21. Chapter 21 - Empirical Data

**Chapter 21 – Empirical Data**

Landis stood at attention as Lady Jade finalized the navigation route they would take through the New Republic towards the Tion Cluster. She seemed more agitated than usual, correction, as agitated as she had been before Skywalker had come aboard.

Not that he would make his observation vocal, although Lady Jade had never kicked anyone off the ship who hadn't truly deserved it, or let the punishment outstrip the crime, no one wanted to be the first to have her break that streak.

Skywalker seemed a bit odd since returning from Naboo as well. They hadn't taken any dinners together, nor any practices. He seemed to spend most of his time in the docking bay with his droid. Even at their sabbac game last night Skywalker was more reserved and withdrawn.

Perhaps they were seeing the writing on the wall as much as the rest of them. This peace was falling apart despite their best efforts. Odds had turned from if to when a new war would be declared, or at least a peace-ending truce.

"That should do it," Lady Jade gathered up the data pads in front of her. She wanted to cut the trip a bit short without making it too obvious, getting them closer to Imperial space, or at least neutral space.

"Thank you, ma'am," Landis took the maps and tucked them into his satchel to return to navigation. "Anything else, ma'am?"

"No," she waved him off, sitting back in her chair and staring blankly at her desk. He'd never seen the Lady look so distracted but then he wasn't privy to her personal quarters that often. Still, the fact that she would allow herself to look such a way in front of him did not bode well.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said again, saluting as he turned to leave. Whatever was going on, he'd find out when it was proper for a man of his rank and stature to do so.

"Lieutenant," she called after him and he stopped, turning crisply on his heels.

"Yes, ma'am?" he offered as he turned back

Lady Jade stood from her chair, a questioning look on her face, "Would you mind helping me with a hypothesis by providing empirical data?"

He nodded respectfully, "Whatever your ladyship needs."

"Thank you," she returned the gesture, walking up to a foot in front of him, "now, hold still."

Landis was about to give an affirmative response when the Lady reached out and grabbed him by the lapels of his uniform… then kissed him. To say he was a bit dumbfounded would be an understatement as prominent as his sudden level of fear.

Like a weaker animal suddenly put upon by a much larger, more ferocious creature, he went limp, hoping not to get mauled.

Seconds later, Lady Jade pulled away, her face frowning, the kind of expression one would see on a mathematicians face when they just added two and two and somehow got five. She shook her head and let him go, almost dropping him, then moved back towards her desk.

"Well," she thought he heard her mumble, "rules out that."

"Ma'am?" his voice squeaked, he quickly coughed and cleared it.

"Apologizes, Lieutenant," she waved him off. "I needed empirical data, having warned you could have ruined the experiment."

"Of course," Landis actually had no idea what she was talking about, but being a good officer he suggested, "shall I send in another officer? A heterosexual one?"

"Hhmm?" she glanced up, the Lady taking a second to think it over. "No, your sexual orientation is not an issue at this juncture, but I will take your suggestion under advisement."

"Thank you, ma'am," he was terribly confused, but not quite as terrified as he was a few moments ago.

"You may leave," Lady Jade dismissed him, returning to her desk.

Landis turned to leave, picking up the satchel where he had dropped it during the experiment. As he got to the door he put two and two together, but did he have the guts to say anything?

Taking a deep breath he turned, "Lady Jade."

"Yes, Lieutenant?" she said with a tug of annoyance.

"As I helped you with your experiment," he tried to say boldly but it came out a little meekly on one side, "would you allow me to regal you with my own hypothesis?"

She thought about it for a second, then waved him on to continue.

"This kiss experiment," he took another breath, "it has to do with you and Skywalker, does it not?"

The expression on her face did not waver except a slight hand gesture to the tune of 'get on with it'.

"Everyone, and I do mean everyone, on this ship has noticed that you two have gotten close," he was sweating now, no one assumed her ladyship's business, not to her face, "and you've been happier for it."

"I'm waiting for you to get to the point, Lieutenant," she drummed her fingers impatiently.

He swallowed hard, "I'm thinking that you know this. That you like him and you're trying to either figure out why, or how to get around it, or something such other, instead of simply letting nature take its course."

She crossed her arms, "And I should do that because?"

"For the reason you hired me, ma'am," he shrugged. "My last two commanders treated me like hell because I didn't confirm to their ideals, but I am who I am, how nature made me, I'm not going to be anything else. Remember what you told me, ma'am, when I came aboard?"

"Yes," she sighed, almost as if she was defeated, not something he'd ever seen from his ladyship, "I told you I didn't care. What you do on your own time has nothing to do with your skill as a navigator, until it does, then we have a problem."

"And I've never let it be a problem," Landis was still terrified, but felt more embolden by the minute.

"No," Lady Jade admitted, "you haven't."

"You and Skywalker," he shrugged, at a loss for words, "you work. It's nature. What you do on your own time has no effect on your ability to be an effective leader."

"It's more complicated than that," she snapped but then her eyes softened in apology.

"No," he shook his head, "no it's not. If you _didn't_ want to be with Skywalker then you would have decided this long ago. Whatever hang ups you have now are just that, hang ups."

Lady Jade stood sharply and bounded forward a few steps, "How dare you make such assumptions!"

Landis flinched, closing his body and cowered slightly to protect himself from any blow. One that didn't come.

"You," she said softly, "you really thought I was going to hit you?"

"Ah," he stuttered, straightening back up, "I, um, yes, possibly?"

She gave a confused laugh, "I've never struck down a single member of this crew, even the ones who deserved it."

It was a realization that had been lost on Landis until that moment, "You're right, ma'am."

Arms flailing wide she gave a strangled, "Why is everyone on this ship so damn afraid of me?"

He rightly bit back the immediate answer that came to mind, then the second more sarcastic one, but instead Landis remembered an observation he had made awhile back, "Not everyone, not Skywalker."

The Lady Jade sat back down in her chair, elbows on her knees, head in her hands, rubbing her temple. A long silence sat between them, Landis not sure what to do but not wanting to risk her ire. Eventually she said, "You can go."

"Thank you ma'am," he nodded, starting to turn to leave, one last bit of boldness eking out, "but if you ask me, I think you need to gather more empirical data."

She lifted her head, staring directly at him with cold eyes, "You tell anyone about this conversation and I'll tell Ptor what you did with Jansom in the closet during Nora's life-day party."

"How did…?" he stood, mouth agape. On second thought, he didn't really want to know. "And you wonder why people are afraid of you."

With that he literally ran to the front door of the apartment, attempting not to stumble as he exited.

…

Mara had to admit, that was pretty amusing seeing him run like that.

But it left her in the same state as before. What to do about Skywalker?

She thought about talking to Gilad but he was so much of a father figure to her that she simply couldn't look him in the eye and ask him about her… sex life. Too awkward.

The Lieutenant did bring up a valid point, Luke Skywalker is the only person she'd met that wasn't afraid of her. Even Gilad had a healthy level of fear, especially after the dark episodes started. But Luke, even knowing what she was capable of, he treated her like she was… normal.

However, that was not a reason to kriff the man.

It was a reason to tell him the truth… about her grandfather. She felt so comfortable with Luke, he was more than just a friend. She could trust him with her darkest secret and so far he more than held up his end on that one, not trying to force any further details or spill it to his family.

But when it came to everything else about the man he quite simply confused her.

Oh, and she hated him. Hated him because he knew her better than she knew herself. Hated him because he cared enough about her to do the right thing. Hated him because he was smart enough to do everything she'd hate him for without actually doing anything wrong.

He was such… such a…

"Gah," she swung her arm and knocked several disks off her desk. The man simply drove her crazy and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.

The Lieutenant was right, she needed more empirical data.

…

Luke passed Landis in the hallway on his way from giving the X-Wing another overhaul. The man was a little pale and shaky, Mara must have been in particular form today. Not that he was in any better shape himself.

It became obvious to Luke on Naboo that he desired Mara, more than a simple crush or object of convenience. There was something between them, a connection, something stronger than that of simple friends.

Luke had a girlfriend once, though they'd been broke up for several months before he was asked to marry Jade. It was the reason his family, okay, his sister mostly, jibbed him so much about his decision to focus on his Jedi training. He liked Tearsi, she was a daughter of one of his mother's friends, they got along great, shared a lot of hobbies… but there just wasn't anything there, no spark even though outwardly she seemed like a perfect match.

It would be unfair to say that one failed relationship ruined him for future ones, but when it was over between them he couldn't see himself in a future like his father's.

But with Mara… there was so much that sparked between them…

She didn't smile often, but when she did it made her whole face light up like a sunrise.

Sighing, Luke went through his personal entrance, straight to his room to shower and change, he smelt like a machine shop. He scrubbed down, dried off, and changed into a shirt, pants, and short robe. Sitting down in his mediation room he once again found himself unwittingly focusing on Mara.

Even after he closed his eyes, he could see her. She was always there, in his thoughts, and in a good way. He cared about her, hoping that she was doing okay, but knowing she needed this space to figure it out for herself.

Hell, he needed this space for himself as well. With everything they'd been doing, the two of them had practically been dating, going to parties, dinners, and not always as part of some function. They spent a lot of time just talking, or watching smash ball, and shared a number of hobbies.

He wasn't sure if what he felt for the woman was on the level of love but he certainly wanted a chance to find out. The problem was that they were already married? It was crazy.

Maybe he was the one who needed time to figure it out. After all, he knew why he wanted Mara, but why was he thinking it in the first place?

Quiet footsteps walked across the reed matted floor Luke sat on, the only person it could be was Mara and she hardly, if ever, invaded his 'personal space'. She probably had something important say and that both thrilled and scared him at the same time.

Oh, Force, what had been thinking, wanting to be with Mara Jade? It made everything so… complicated.

She was in front of him now so he took a deep breath, avoiding opening his eyes because he didn't want to see what kind of mood she was in. He kept the Force tight to him for the same reason.

"Luke?" she questioned.

"Yes—" he barely got the word out when Mara straddled him, kissing him deeply on the lips.

Groaning, he wrapped his arms around the woman, pulling her against him as he returned the kiss, hungrily devouring her mouth. Her hands proceeded to undo the belt of his robe, pushing the clothing back off his shoulders.

Luke managed to disengage his lips, still holding her against him as she kissed down his newly exposed neck. "Mara?" he kicked himself but he had to ask, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She pulled back and gave him a firm look, "I'm gathering empirical data."

He blinked, "What?"

"Shut up," she kissed at his lips, nibbling a bit but he pushed her away, gently and regretfully.

"I want to be sure this is what you want," he revolted against every fiber of his body, someone had to maintain a level of sanity in all this, "there is no going back… to the way it was before."

"Don't you think I know that," she growled at him but he was not fazed by her, then she stared at him for a moment. "You really do care about me, and you're not afraid of me either."

"Yes, I do care about you," he touched her face gently, locks of her hair falling across her face as she bowed slightly at his touch, "and I'm only afraid of losing you."

"You can't lose me," she frowned, "you don't _own_ me."

"That's not…," he stumbled over his words, "that's not what I meant. I don't want to lose our friendship, the ease in which we can talk with each other, what we were before… before the kiss."

She continued to frown, then said, "This kiss?"

Mara leaned into him, softly planting her lips on his and no matter of self control could keep him from moaning, returning the kiss gently, lovingly, wanting to drink her in. Eventually it had to end and she pulled back, much to his body's annoyance.

"Luke," she said the word tenderly, "we already can't go back, and if we don't go forward we will drive ourselves either to anger or madness, maybe both."

He looked at her sadly, knowing she was right. And what's more, she had it figured out in her mind. She was a woman of order and while their bodies seemed wrapped in a chaos of emotions she found her island of reason.

When you can't go back, you go forward and see where that takes you.

"I can't promise you tomorrow," she said, cupping his face in her hands, fighting back tears, "but I want tonight."

His heart fell but he knew that it was the most he could hope from the woman in front of him, a woman so very broken. "Then we have tonight."

Their lips met again, hands traveling up and down the lengths of each other's bodies, passion growing between them. Pulling apart just long enough to stand, both flush, breathing heavily… his bed was closer but hers was nicer, bigger.

"Luke," she said hoarsely as he started to lead her out of the room, her voice sexually charged, "I have to tell you something."

"Yes," he ran his hand across her cheek, she was so beautiful.

"I've," she cleared her throat, "I've never done this before."

It took a second for that statement to register and while it stunned him to hear it out loud it hardly surprised him. The thought that he would be her first both thrilled and terrified him. Unfortunately she would not be his first, that belonged to Tearsi, and he suddenly felt very protective of the woman in front of him.

Her face turned into a scowl, "You give me any nonsense now, Skywalker, and I will end you."

And that's why he found her so… her.

Grinning he swept her up into his arms, Mara giving out a little yelp from the sudden action.

"No nonsense," he whispered into her ear, "never again."

* * *

**Author's Note: So, yeah, the next chapter is going to be a little later than usual, that's because I'm not sure what Chapter 22 will be. You see, originally Chapter 22 was written a 'bonus NC-17 (M-Rated) chapter' that I PM'd to people on JCF upon request. I thought about perhaps doing that again here, or maybe ignoring that the chapter ever existed, or editing it down to a T rating. I've already gotten some comments from readers who knew the chapter was coming and I'm very mixed on the subject. I'm going to be brutally honest and say that I always thought of it as 'not my best work' as my M-rated stuff goes, hence why I've been unable to decide, but it did get a positive response on JCF originally. **

**I'm going to take a few days to think on it, please let me know your thoughts, both those who have read it on JCF or the new readers, either via feedback or PM. **

**Thanks again for reading! I promise to not take too long to decide, a week at the most (probably less than that).**


	22. Chapter 22 - Nonsense

**Author's Note: **I first want to say thank you to everyone for your support and thoughts on what to do about this chapter. In the end I was struck by two facts, the first being that something important does happen in this chapter (which is discussed in the next chapter) and the second being I was simply never happy with this chapter. In the vein of Star Wars I decided to edit this chapter down to a T rating but it would be less like the Star Wars 'Special Edition' cuts and more like the Stargate _Children of the Gods_ Final Cut. I literally cut over a thousand words from this chapter, over a third of the overall length.

**This chapter is rated T but I'm sure it's up there hugging the line a bit and is fairly sensual. But I believe this is all stuff you'd see in a PG-13 movie versus a Rated R movie and that's always been my deciding line between T and M on this site. (You don't 'see' anything, it's all clever camera angles.)**

As for the original M rated version, this was the hardest decision to make, but I will not be offering it via PM or other means. Again, this goes back to the fact that I was never happy with it. I know some who have read it thought it was a great chapter, and I greatly appreciate your support in the matter, but I hope you can understand that I do not wish to deal with it anymore. I tried rewriting it and only got more frustrated with it.

Thank you all again for being the awesomest bunch of readers a girl could ask for! We still have several more chapters to go and a few more trials and tribulations for these kids to get through. Enjoy the ride…

* * *

**Chapter 22 – Nonsense**

Luke dropped Mara onto her bed, kissing her deeply as he scooted in beside her. If he was nervous his first time, he was triple that this time.

But no, no nonsense, Mara wanted him to make love to her and he was going to do just that. He would make sure that she gained as much enjoyment from this night as possible… especially if it was going to be their first and last… a fact he wasn't going to focus on at this moment.

Grabbing the hem of her shirt he pushed it up, caressing her bare skin as he went, she was remarkably soft, like velvet. She pulled it off, tossing it aside. He looked up into her eyes and he saw surprise there, trepidation, she was enjoying this and wasn't sure how to express those feelings.

He wanted to tell her that she should just go with what felt natural but he didn't want her to think he was patronizing or pitying her so he simply nuzzled her. She gave a low growl of pleasure and he was sure she got the point.

His hands went to undo her slacks and he paused, glancing down at her feet still clad in combat boots, completely laced to mid-calf.

"I got it," she seemed to be happy for the diversion, a touch of nervousness in her voice.

She drew her legs up and started tearing at the laces, her hands trembling but he didn't dare point that out. To distract himself from his own butterflies he pulled his shirt off, tossing the fabric aside.

It wasn't the first time Mara had seen him shirtless, but he could see in her eyes that this was the first time she ever really looked at him. Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip which she proceeded to chew on as one boot went tumbling over the edge of the bed.

"This…" she said as she tore into the other boot, "this isn't your first time, is it?"

"No," he admitted, a smile snaking onto his lips, "but I assure you I'm no pro at this either."

"Ah," she averted her eyes, focusing on the footwear which ended up with the other. Mara straightened up, her posture belying her semi-dressed and flustered state. "Was she, or they, pretty?"

It was interesting to see Mara so timid and nervous, still fighting for some manner of dominance or control in a situation where she knew she was at the mercy of another. She needed a confidence booster, a rarity for her.

"Just she," Luke took the waistline of her slacks in his hand, "and she was very pretty, cute even," he admitted as he slowly pulled the article off to leave her in nothing but a modest pair of underwear, "but not nearly as beautiful as you."

Mara's whole body blushed and it reminded him of the first time he saw her naked, her skin flushed red from the hot water, light glistening around every curve.

"Beautiful, huh?" she said with a hitch in her throat.

"Beautiful," he kissed her lightly, "sexy," he kept kissing, "gorgeous," he moved up her body, "spectacular," he made her lay down, "stunning," he gazed at her, "I honestly have never wanted someone so badly as I do you, making love to you, not making love to you," he caught her eyes, "you would drive me mad either way…"

Her green orbs glistened and he knew she was fighting back tears, not of anger, fear or disappointment, but of an emotion she was barely able to understand but made her feel so good.

"Luke…" she said softly, shakily.

Saving her from having to put a voice to unfamiliar feelings he moved to lay beside her, kissing deeply, passionately, as his hand wandering down her body.

He wanted her so badly, he wanted to be with her not just tonight but as many nights as she would have him, he felt he could die if wasn't able to touch her, so he was going to make sure to give her something that would haunt her dreams as much as she has haunted his.

…

Mara hated Luke but at the same she didn't want him to stop. At every step he knew what to do, what to say, he knew her so well and frustrated her so much but she wanted nothing more than to feel him touch her and do all the things that made her feel so good? so cherished? so cared for?

She knew he wanted her and the avoidance of his own need was a play to focus on making her enjoy the night so much she would consider a tomorrow with him… see, she knew him as well as he knew her.

But he wanted more nights because he truly desired her, not the sex, her…

It was all very confusing, but there was no denying that with every touch, kiss, and press of his body she desired him just as much. Millions of thoughts rushed through her mind and she couldn't settle on what was real, what was desire, and what was madness.

Luke kissed her deeply, moving down her jaw line making his way to her collarbone. "Luke," she moaned, not sure if she was urging him on or asking him to stop.

Her husband, now lover, an odd enough contradiction in its own right, continued to nuzzle her neck, kissing down her body as he explored her. She wanted to scream out, chest heaving as her nails dug into the fabric. "Oh, gods," she almost wanted to cry.

Luke was relentless, pushing her to higher levels of pleasure. "Luke!" she screamed, pleasure flooding over her senses, every thought or anxiety wiped clean as she only felt her trembling body and her lover's gentle touch.

"So beautiful," he nuzzled her neck, wrapping around her to hold her as she labored to catch her breath.

They lay like that for several minutes, her body cooling but her desire still peaked as she knew more was yet to come. Luke had taken to caressing her idly, kissing her softly, he didn't seem to want to let her go as if she was spice and he the addict. She kind of liked it, having someone making her feel… so alive.

Their eyes met and there were stormy clouds of lust behind his bright blue orbs and a chill ran down her spine.

She took shallow breaths, feeling his warmth all around her… again she was awash in foreign feelings of being cared for, cherished…

"Oh," Mara groaned, their bodies finally meeting as true lovers.

"Mara, Mara," Luke mumbled, "Mara, my Mara."

It's not supposed to be this good the first time… she didn't deserve to feel like this… she felt… loved…

_My beautiful Mara_, she heard in her mind and it shocked her. Glancing up at her lover she saw the same fuddled confusion in his eyes but the air between them was heavy with desire.

"Do you really feel loved?" he asked breathlessly, slowing down his thrusts.

"You heard that?" she wasn't sure how that made her feel.

Luke shifted again, laying more flat so he could bring his face next to hers, touching her softly, gently, "You are loved Mara, I care about you so much…" she could see the words nearly brought him to tears. "I love you…"

The world between them shrank and she felt his love and desire flood into her. It was too much and she screamed out as her body trembled. Luke pulled her tight against him, both attempting to catch their breaths.

"What just happened, Luke?" Mara asked.

"I… I don't know," he replied, "that's never happened before."

Mara leaned up to look him in the eyes, "You never read your lover's thoughts before?"

"No," she shook his head, "and she wasn't a force sensitive," which meant it would technically be easier for him to have done it, Mara had triple re-enforced shields.

It was just another in a thousand questions Mara wanted to ask… but one stood out… "Luke, did you mean it when you said you loved me?"

He gazed into her eyes, "Yes, Mara, yes I did."


	23. Chapter 23 - And More Nonsense

**Thank you again everyone, you're the most lovely readers!**

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**Chapter 23 – Still More Nonsense**

"Luke," Mara gazed into his eyes, "did you mean it when you said you loved me?"

He took a breath, staring into his lover's glistening green orbs, mind racing to make sense of what happened between them.

She had been beautiful, glowing and downright spectacular as they made love for the first time, but what came next was beyond definition. As they lost themselves in each other they could feel their desire, their emotions, literally permeate the air around them. It drove away any awkwardness of the new lovers and literally magnified the intensity of their feelings for each other.

And for a brief, solitary moment, Luke caught a complete image of what Mara was thinking… _'I feel loved…'_

The revelation floored Luke as he held Mara against him. Mara who never let anyone into her life let alone her heart… Luke could do nothing but tell her that her thoughts weren't without merit… she was indeed loved… that he loved her…

Luke knew in his heart the truth that sang to him, showing him why he was drawn so powerfully to the woman who captivated him so much. "Yes, Mara, yes I did."

Mara creased her brow and she turned away from where she was snuggled against him. Sitting up, she drew her knees against her, arms crossing to cover her body as they never made it under her bed sheets. "My Mara," she said apprehensively, "that's what you kept saying. That's what you _thought_. 'My beautiful Mara'."

Of course, if he could read her thoughts then she would pick up on his. It was an event that still defied logic to him. Mara was not his first lover, a few months before the council asked him to marry the Lady he had broken up with Tearsi. She was a lovely girl but she didn't draw him to her like he felt drawn towards Mara. Tearsi also wasn't a force-sensitive so, in theory, if he was going to accidently read anyone's mind it would be hers… not the woman whose mental shields were fastened by Darth Sidious himself.

And he'd had 'the talk' with his father, he never mentioned such a possibility occurring. If his father didn't know about it…

"My Mara," she continued, "I'm not your anything, Skywalker. I'm my own Mara, not yours, not the Empire's, not my grandfathers…"

She was worked up now, starting to fume, and that was the last thing he wanted, that he needed, happening right now.

"Mara," he sat up and moved in front of her, trying to get her attention, "Mara, listen to me, please."

Her eyes were filled with so much confusion, declarations of love married with her mental walls being breached during such an intimate act…

"Mara," he reached up and cupped her face, pleased that she didn't flinch, "it wasn't a declaration of ownership, it was an endearment of love."

"I don't understand," her lip trembled a bit.

Quickly he thought of a comparison to make, "The men, on this ship, you consider them _your_ _men_, your crew, but you don't own them."

"I pay their wages," she grew more confused and he realized the flaw in his statement, "but I don't own them, they aren't slaves."

"Whether you admit out loud or not," he soldiered through, "you care about them, they wouldn't be on this ship if you didn't, and they are your crew because you want to take care of them," he took a breath seeing some of the clouds in her eyes clear, "and that's how I feel about you, sort of. I love you, I care about you so much and I don't want to ever hurt you. You're as much mine as I am yours now."

"But I'm _not_ _yours_," she rocked slightly as she bit on the words.

Luke looked down and away, afraid he'd lost her, maybe this had been a mistake? He'd gone and ruined everything because he couldn't get past the fact he wanted to be with her, all of her, to make her experience so much joy when she had so little.

"No," he said softly, "you're not. I spoke… I thought… I wasn't thinking straight."

"You weren't," she replied, still huddled up. She looked so frail, like a porcelain doll, nothing of the strong, grim and determined Mara he met years ago.

Not knowing what to say or do that wouldn't come off as nonsense or pity or any other of a thousand verbs that could get him a lashing, he decided simply backing away would be the best. He destroyed the chance he was given to make things work between them, maybe tomorrow they could salvage what was left.

"I'll…" he choked, "I'll go now."

Luke started to move off the bed when a strong but small hand grabbed him by the arm and he came to a stop, sitting with his legs over the edge. Turning back, Mara was on her knees. "Luke," she said the word as if it was a question.

"Mara," he answered in return, not sure what he was seeing in her eyes.

"You don't own me…" her words were quiet, soft, but full of so much weight, "but I gave of myself freely."

"I don't understand," he shook his head.

"I don't know," she sat back, both hands running through her sweat-matted hair, "I fight so hard to maintain control, my freedom, my Empire, my ship and my crew," she looked up at him with tear stained eyes, "sometimes I wish I didn't have to struggle every day, every way…"

"Mara," Luke said softly, touching her face, at a total loss but desperately wanting to be there for her.

"I want, for once in my life," she struggled, "I want to be free, free of having to make the decisions, of carrying the burdens."

"Mara," Luke was starting to understand, "I can't make this decision or you, but I can try to help you, anything you need from me, you only have to ask."

"I know, Luke," she moved closer, her warmth reminding him why they were in this position in the first place, "I know."

He tried to think of what to say, of what Mara was saying, but she leaned in and their lips met cautiously. Mara laid back, pulling Luke with her and before he realized it his body was on top of hers, hands exploring, lips kissing.

"Don't stop," Mara mumbled between kisses, hearing his thoughts of wonder if this was the right thing for them to be doing. "Don't stop…"

…

The alarm went off and Mara's eyes snapped open. To say she hardly got any sleep the night before was an understatement as she kept Luke pretty busy. Of course he returned the favor.

She'd gotten through a day with less sleep, so she tossed the covers aside and swung her legs out over the bed. Mara ached, everywhere, in places she didn't know it was possible. She hadn't felt like this since she was a young girl learning martial arts for the first time.

Stretching as she stood, she headed over to the small comm unit in her room and hit the audio only to her executive assistant, Jarv. He was an efficient gentleman, too efficient, to the point of obsessesiveness which drove his previous commanders crazy. Mara didn't mind, made him able to keep up with her since she tended to have more meetings than time and less time than sense.

"Lady Jade," he answered promptly, "I have your day laid out for you, starting at…"

"Jarv," she cut him off before he had a chance to go through her entire daily schedule, something she normally would listen to as she prepped for the day, "reschedule everything for tomorrow or earliest convenience."

There was a pause, "Everything?"

"Everything," she repeated. "I'm taking the day off."

"But…?" the poor boy might have been having a seizure.

"Make it work," she said dryly into the unit, "I'm sure you can manage."

"Yes, ma'am," there was almost a note of challenge in his voice. She was giving him a chance to make order out of chaos, he thrived on that.

Mara cut the connection and headed towards the refresher, snatching her robe along the way, barely giving a glance to the male form shifting under the sheets, waking up. He was not something she wanted to deal with at the moment so she simply didn't.

Standing in front of the refresher mirror, Mara took in her image, wild, sweat-matted hair, small bruises, and what little makeup she wore running and smudged. She didn't really look at herself after her outburst to Luke about Palpatine, but she was sure the effect was much the same. This also was the appearance of her body after the darkness came to her, which, now that she thought about it, hadn't visited in awhile.

She kind of wished it would, at least that was something she understood, could handle.

Mara headed into the shower and proceeded to scrub herself clean, not that she felt dirty or icky, well, she did feel those but in a purely physical way, no one really warned her how messy sex was.

She took the time to think.

Luke, despite his assurances, still thought of her as _his_, she realized this during yet another of their strange but intoxicating mind merges during the climax of their love making. As much as she valued her freedom she found strange comfort in belonging to someone who wasn't out to actively use her… well, that was arguable because he used her many times over the night, but it was completely mutual exploitation.

Then there was the mind melds themselves. Mara had a standard sexual education through her tutors growing up and she had some knowledge of the Force and Jedi, but nothing she read made any indication that the meld could happen. Quite the opposite actually.

The act of lovemaking is a very private thing, both individually and between partners. During the act the Force actually withdrawals, or locks down. This is to ensure there is no accidental transmission of the lover's thoughts or emotions to anyone who may happen to be close, such as a child across the home or neighbors whose bedroom shares a wall.

As far as Mara could tell their thoughts only leaked across to each other, no farther, but that was still an oddity that defied explanation. Not that she minded it happening because in defiance to her own instincts she actually liked it.

For the first time in a very long while Mara was able to let go and stop holding up her walls, her barriers laid open and unbarred. And like a besieged city who after years finally gives up, surrenders, only to find their attackers simply wanted to give them food, water, and medicine, she too was at a terrible loss for words and overcome with regret for so much lost.

After she showered Mara wrapped herself in her robe and headed back into her room. Luke was gone, she guessed to take his own shower and get cleaned up, she was thankful for the extra time to think.

She hated that man so much, he always knew, always had the right words and the right plans.

He loved her.

Growling with annoyance and anger she quickly slipped on some lounge clothes and stalked out of her room towards the kitchen. Passing through the area into Luke's apartment she found the door to his bedroom shut. Not giving a nerf's rear for Luke's privacy at the moment she palmed the controls and the door slid open.

Walking swiftly inside, Luke was standing beside his bed, fastening the belt, bare-chested as his shirt laid waiting on the bed, and his hair a shaggy mop. His eyes met hers, bright blue orbs she remembered seeing so dark and stormy only hours earlier.

He looked like he was about to say something but Mara marched right up to him and kissed him, hard.

Instantly he crushed her against his body, passion inflamed between them, not quenched at all with the events of the night before.

"Mara," Luke managed to pull himself away from her lips but he still held her close.

"Shut up," she ground out, pressing her forehead to his, "shut up, shut up, shut up."

Luke made a strangled noise as if he tried to speak but thought better of it at last moment.

"Whatever _this_ is," she accented her words by tracing down his sides with her fingertips, "I don't know what it is, I don't understand it…" she admitted, "but I want it, want it so bad I could scream."

"Mar-aah," before he could get the whole word out Mara used pressure points against his bare skin and he fell back onto the bed.

"SHUT UP!" she straddled his prone form, "You want me, you want me to be 'your Mara', well, I'm giving myself to you, don't argue, don't question, just accept it, damnit."

If she herself couldn't understand what was going on inside her own head, then how could she expect Luke to? Maybe he did, she wouldn't put it past him, but she didn't care what he thought… this was something she had to figure out for herself, as annoying as that was.

She simply knew that when she was with him she didn't have to live under the weight of who she was… she was free… and if she could find the key to that freedom…

Mara attacked his mouth, kissing him long and hard as their bodies writhed together.

"Mara," Luke finally was able to mutter as she kissed down his neck and she felt like screaming or biting him to shut him up, "you know, we only just showered, we're going to get dirty again…"

His words were wry and full of humor, his chest beginning to rumble as he chuckled.

She looked into his sparkling blue eyes, tainted with mischief…


	24. Chapter 24 - This

**Chapter 24 – This**

After a day of physical exploration and other generally exhausting behavior, Luke and Mara were back to their old schedule. Mara took her meetings, put out fires, the usual, while Luke continued to monitor situations and do his own brand of peace-keeping. The only change was now the two shared a bed at the end of the night, regardless if any activities occurred.

Mara was a very closed person, always had been and this didn't change much of that. Outside the doors of their quarters she treated him the same as she always did… or at least she thought so. There was a new softness, perhaps even a kindness, to everything that passed between them. Even seemingly innocent gestures of placing her hand on his shoulder was so out of place it could only lead to a veritable few conclusions.

Jade's crew may be made of many kinds of individuals, but none of them were stupid.

It hadn't taken long for the ship to realize what was happening between them and it was freely discussed, though of course not when Mara, Luke or even Gilad was present. The crew was also smart enough to not even let a hint of a rumor get off the ship, no one wanted to be answerable to Lady Jade for that. Most of the crew's response to the couple was positive or neutral, crewmembers deciding that either Luke was good for Lady Jade or the Lady needed a good kriff and he was as good a man as any.

It also didn't take long for Luke and Mara to realize the whole ship knew about them. This came to a head when during a sabbac game Fomor blurted out how he was dying to know the details of Luke and Mara's relationship. Luke simply told him that it was none of his business and more so the Lady Jade would not appreciate him discussing their personal affairs with crew members. This exchange made it back to Mara who was extremely pleased that Luke thought so.

But he needed to talk to someone, other than Artoo, and his dad was out of the question. As much as he wanted to ask about the mind meld Luke felt entirely too awkward to admit to his father that after everything he had said and done in regards to the concept of 'settling down'… he went and fallen in love with Lady Jade of all people.

"And I am sure she loves me too," Luke sighed over a glass of whiskey, "she just doesn't know how to process those emotions yet, but she's getting there."

His drinking companion sighed as they sat on crates between two X-Wings, "Luke, I hate to be the one who says this, but are you sure what you're feeling… that it's real and not…"

"Barratote syndrome?" Luke suggested and the man shrugged in admission. Barratote syndrome was named for a lady back in the days of the Old Republic. She had been kidnapped during the commission of a robbery and kept for weeks by the three men who hadn't figured out what to do with her. Inadvertently she had seen their faces but they couldn't bring themselves to kill her.

Over the days she was kept by the men she started to take any act of kindness on their part as something more than it was. She began to identify with them and soon found herself a member of the crew, committing crimes right alongside the ones who once kept her locked and chained in a basement for days on end.

When they were finally stopped she pleaded to not be separated from them, everyone trying to figure out what happened. She said she was in love and they loved her back… but they didn't, they admitted as much. Somehow, in that dark basement, when she realized she couldn't resist her captivity anymore, she stopped resisting and the only sanity left to her was to become part of what held her down.

"Thought had occurred to me," Luke sighed, "but for one, I've never been a prisoner. Married, yes, but I didn't have to stay on this ship, I still don't, I could leave right now if I wanted to."

"But you don't want to," his friend pointed out.

"No," he rolled everything over in his mind, "and yes, Mara has shown me kindness but I never took that as signs of affection, until very recently at least. It was only proof that she's not the cold hearted woman everyone thought she was…" Luke's eyes went distant for a second, memories cropping up. "She was like this at the beginning, at our first meeting. Resigned but stern, distant but approachable. Not at all what I expected…" he glanced up at the man sitting across from him. "I knew at that first meeting that I liked her… I just don't know when it became more."

"That's a good argument," the man nodded, sipping at his drink, "but what of the Force? Have you asked it for guidance?"

"Of course," he smiled, "and while it urges caution it doesn't seem to make any indication that there is anything wrong with what is building between us. If anything, it feels very right in the Force to be together."

"That's something," his friend took a sip of his drink, staring through the amber liquid for a moment. "You're sure you're in love with her."

"Positive," Luke said firmly, "yet riddled with insecurity."

He chuckled, "Sounds about right. Love is a complicated emotion, if you weren't feeling some reservation I would worry. Now is the time to work out those doubts."

"Yes," Luke said quietly, "and I do have a question for you, it's a bit of a personal one."

The older Jedi raised one eyebrow, "Surely your father had this talk with you already."

"He did, Master Kenobi," Luke blushed a bit, "but he did not mention anything about involuntary mind-melding during… ah… the act of… towards the… ah… end."

"Involuntary mind melds you say?" Kenobi looked like he wanted to burst out laughing at Luke's sensibilities, "I've not heard of such things. How deep does the meld go?"

"Not terribly," his cheeks still burned crimson, "mostly just surface thoughts and emotions. Makes the… finish… quite something…"

"And this happens every time?" the master Jedi's cheeks were a bit puffed and lips tight at the edges, stifling laughter.

"So far," Luke admitted.

"Hm," Kenobi managed to squash his mirth as he considered what Luke was saying. "I don't know what to say, there has been precedence in the past for two Jedi to be able to form a connection like that, but usually it's voluntary."

"Yes," Luke came to the same conclusion earlier and was a bit sullen to hear that his former master had nothing further to add.

"Still," the older Jedi sat his drink down, "it does seem to point towards the possibility that you and Mara share a connection deeper than that of two in love."

"Is there anything deeper than love?" Luke asked.

Kenobi thought on this, "The poets would like to think so."

…

Several days after Kenobi's visit, Luke sat eating dinner with Mara. He could tell her mind really wasn't on her food as she stabbed the table on more than one occasion as she read a datapad with her other hand.

"You want to talk about it?" Luke cut a bit of his nerf stake.

"Sixty-eight percent." Mara growled, only lightly, in what he knew was only minor frustration. "Sixty-eight bloody percent."

"It is a bit high," and he had to admit, it troubled him too.

When the peace treaty was signed it was obvious that at least some of it would have to be repealed or amended once they actually tried to put it to practical use. However, in the past year, at the anniversary of their wedding and the treaty signing, sixty-eight percent of the treaty had been tossed out the proverbial airlock.

"Things keep degrading like this," she tossed the datapad onto the table, "something is going to implode."

Luke could do nothing but agree even though he tried to maintain hopeful. He and Mara had spent much of their time planet side trying to promote a peace and understanding but all the politicians and businesses wanted to do was argue about taxes and profits.

"Sometimes," Mara said softly, "sometimes I wish I could just run away from it all…"

But Luke knew she couldn't, she had a job to do. Her people needed her to be strong and fight for them… and it was crushing her.

The comm beeped and Mara tapped her fingers, a debating look in her eyes. Another incessant beep and she snatched it from her pocket.

"Jade," she said annoyed.

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am," a communications officer came over the device, "but we have two ships approaching, hailing, asking to dock."

Her eyes narrowed and she glanced in Luke's direction. "And?"

"One is an Imperial Shuttle, the other a Republic Cruiser," he continued quickly. "Grand Admiral Doruk is on the Shuttle, I believe Anakin Skywalker is on the Republic ship."

Luke was shocked at the statement, his father had said nothing of coming to this side of the galaxy let alone to the ship. The surprise must have echoed in his face because Mara only gave him a momentary suspicious scowl before turning her attention back to the comm. "Give them permission to land."

"Yes, ma'am," with that the connection went dead.

"Any idea?" Mara asked him.

"Not a one," Luke frowned.

The two of them finished their meal quickly, heading over to the docking bay to greet their guests.

"You know," Mara said as she waited next to him, "there was a meeting taking place over the past few days, a discussion of the one year anniversary."

"But why the sudden visit?" Luke added and he saw the same question in her eyes.

"You getting a bad feeling about this?" she asked.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," he mumbled, the first of the two ships now on approach, growing larger in the distance.

The New Republic ship was the first to dock, sliding through the force field that kept the cold vacuum of space at bay. Anakin Skywalker appeared on the landing ramp and without thought Luke walked over to greet him. Whatever was going on, he could never not look forward to seeing a member of his family.

"Luke," Anakin smiled, though perhaps not as brightly as he normally did, "good to see you."

"And you, father," they embraced in a hug and Luke could see Senator bel Ibis make his way down the ramp.

"Master Skywalker," Mara greeted the man formally from a few steps behind.

"Lady," Anakin offered a curt bow in her direction. The senator approached and gave the same introduction.

"What brings you here?" she asked them evenly, with a touch of wariness. Luke wished he could chide her for her apprehension but seeing his father had done little to ease the knots that had been building since he heard of their uninvited guests.

"We'll have to wait for the Imperials to sort out all the details," the dark skinned Senator looked out into space, the Shuttle now making its approach, "but here is the general gist of the situation. You know how bad it has been getting since the peace treaty?"

"Of course," Mara bristled.

"It has come to the attention of both the Imperials and ourselves that… _this_…" he gestured broadly as if to encompass the whole galaxy, "simply isn't working."

Luke and Mara exchanged glances.

"We're putting an end to the peace treaty," Anakin said bluntly.

"We're closing the borders," the senator quickly added, "withdrawing certain rights, going back to when we had the truce. But we are _not_ going back to war."

"Yet," Anakin scoffed then seemed to remember he was in the presence of Imperial royalty. "I'm surprised you weren't included in the meeting negotiations that were called…"

Mara said nothing, her jaw tight but moving ever slowly in a grinding fashion. She looked absolutely livid to anyone who didn't know her as well as Luke did. Oh, she was angry alright, but there was something more, a fear, an anxiety, something that wanted to snap but could only be crushed.

Luke himself wasn't sure what to think or even feel. He would do anything, did everything, to keep the peace and his words had fallen on deaf ears it seemed. It had all been a pointless, useless diversion… but not completely…

They were distracted by the sound of the Imperial Shuttle passing through the force field, its engine turning over and cycling for landing.

"The reason we're here," Anakin said as the noise died down, "is as part of the official announcement resending the peace negotiation we'll be ending all relationship ties with each government."

"In other words," bel Ibis added, "congratulations kids, you're getting a divorce."

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**Note:** There was a time I seriously considered ending the story right here... but don't worry, a few more chapters yet to come.


	25. Chapter 25 - The Goal

**You guys are the best readers! So here is the next chapter! Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Go Ravens!**

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**C****hapter 25 – The Goal**

"In other words," Bel Ibis added, "congratulations kids, you're getting a divorce."

Luke mentally paused at the word: Divorce.

A marriage he never wanted in the first place, but was softly shoved into, would be null and void. No longer would he be at the center of attention. He could return to the Jedi and continue his quest for a better understanding of the force.

He wouldn't have Mara anymore.

Would she still want him?

The Lady was stock still, a complete mask of emotions, even Luke couldn't tell what she was thinking or how she would react to the news. He desperately wanted to talk to her but couldn't in front of everyone. Was she seeing this as an opportunity to get rid of him and not have to deal with figuring out her emotions?

The Imperial shuttle landed, figures descending the ramp as they stood watching in an awkward silence. Grand Admiral Doruk, a large boisterous kind of man, approached them, scowling.

"You told them already?" he huffed.

Bel Ibis simply shrugged, "Thought about waiting for you but you took too long."

Whatever banter the two were about to engage in, friendly or no, was cut short as Mara swiftly called to one of the lieutenants who were waiting in the background to be porters to the guests.

"Gentlemen," she turned back to the group, "you've had a long travel. Please, freshen up, eat if you must, we will then meet in the main conference room in two hours. Lieutenant Lavits here will help you with anything you need."

Mara didn't give them a chance, she turned on her heels and with a long, quick, stride towards the exit, never once looking at him or making a gesture. Luke wanted to run after her but was still paralyzed by the thought of what she might say.

"I asked you to let us tell her together," Doruk turned to the senator, "as a courtesy."

"Where was your courtesy on Ryloth?" Bel Ibis shot back. "Perhaps you should have thought of that before excluding her from such important talks?"

"Gentlemen," Anakin gently interposed himself between them. "What's done is done. I suggest we take the kind offer while it still stands, hmm?"

The rival politicians glared at each other but both knew bigger battles were yet to come and backed down. As they turned to the lieutenant and called to the rest of their entourage, Anakin turned his attention towards Luke.

"You seem troubled," Anakin stood in front of him now, bringing him out of his continually jumbled thoughts. "It's all over your face."

"This… is a turn," was the safest way he could phrase it. "One moment I'm forced into a marriage, the next I'm being forced out."

Anakin raised one brow, "I thought you'd be pleased."

"I would be pleased if the governments could make up their minds and stop frelling about," he snapped, raising his voice much to his annoyance, then frowned, "sorry."

"No, it's okay," Anakin nodded slightly, "it's a rough time, for all of us. Nothing seems to be going to plan."

"Yeah," he shook his head, knowing what he needed to do. "Excuse me father, I need to speak to Mara."

"I'm sure you do," the elder Skywalker said after a moment's consideration.

…

Mara was angry, really, really angry. Boiling point angry. The kind of angry that makes even a normal person want to rip everything around them to shreds, starting with the pillows and ending with anything in the cooling unit that was water soluble.

Thing is, she wasn't sure what she was more angry at:

She was excluded from such an important negotiation, _again_.

She was being told now who she _couldn't_ be married to.

She was going to have to divorce a man she was… was… who she… liked… a lot.

Everything she had been doing was for nothing.

"Mara?" Luke's voice came softly from the door of her office.

Stopping what she was doing she looked over her shoulder at him. "Luke."

"I…" he cleared his voice, moving forward in a light shuffle, "I don't want to get a divorce… but if it's what you want…"

"You think I want a divorce?" she asked evenly, brows slightly creased.

"Hopefully not," he frowned. Normally Luke knew her so well she wanted to strangle him, and now he was at a loss and thinking she wanted to end what was between them.

Did she want to end this? Sure, it would make life so much easier. She wouldn't be stuck trying to figure out what was going on, in both her head and her heart. Luke could go back and live with his family and find some girl who wasn't as emotionally wrecked as she was.

So much easier…

"Luke," she stood and walked over to him, his face showing strength she knew she didn't have. "Don't you want to go back to the Republic? Be with your family."

He thought about this, his face became wracked with turmoil.

"I could never abandon my people," Mara said into the silence, the bitter taste of the fact the council had purposely excluded her still stinging the back of her throat. "The council may not want me, but I will not defect, I will not set that example for the Empire."

Luke took her hands in hers, "I love you, so much," his voice was longing, "but I can't defect either. I will not leave my whole family and everything I believe in. I am a Jedi Knight. I may not be able to serve alongside my brethren but I will not turn my back on them."

"I understand," she said softly and he pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close.

Mara thought of the past year, of her time with the Jedi Luke Skywalker, a man who was unlike any other she had met, who earned her respect as well as her trust. A man who had learned all her secrets and never once used them against her. The darkness was gone, or at least dormant, and it was because of him. She gave him her body and he did nothing but treat it with care.

He was a man she would do anything for… except that. The Empire was her home, its citizens her people. She would never disgrace them by going to the Republic.

Even if the council had turned their back on her.

"I'm tired, Luke," she admitted, pulling back, "so tired."

"I know," he brushed his hand against her cheek. "I know."

Their eyes met and an understanding passed between them.

"Well, let's get this over with?" she managed a weak smile.

He squeezed her hand. "It will be okay… it will always be okay."

…

After a bit to eat and an opportunity to clean up and change, the guests were brought into a large conference chamber which was basically a long white room with a long white table with twenty white chairs and two Imperial Blue banners hanging on each end. That was the one thing about the Empire that Anakin would never admit to his wife he liked. He appreciated their tendency to not lean towards the flair and dramatic. Anakin was from the desert, simple and functional ruled the day.

Grand Admiral Doruk sat across from Bel Ibis and the two continued to glare daggers at each other.

How was the peace expected to work if even the high level officials couldn't get along? Anakin was afraid at any moment he'd have to come between the two men before blasters were drawn. No, not blasters, they weren't allowed to take them off the ship. Anakin got to keep his lightsaber though, probably of his own son's doing he guessed.

As for Luke, what happened in the hanger bay was a source of confusion for the Jedi Master. He would have expected his son to be relieved at the news, and while there was a small measure of that… there was so much more. His son was a jumble of emotions and he would have liked to talk about it with him but he ran away, after Lady Jade. Anakin had his theories but surely he was mistaken?

"Gentlemen," Lady Jade strode in, Luke beside her. The two groups started to stand as is polite but she cut them off with a hand gesture and sat down at the head of the table, Luke taking the chair to her right. "Now, tell me what the frell is going on?"

"Well, Lady Jade," Doruk started, eyeing Bel Ibis who sat back in his chair, "an emergency conference was called under the guise of an anniversary discussion. It was decided that the peace treaty cannot stand anymore."

"There is more conflict now than when we were in a cease fire," the Corellian senator cut in. "The corporations are using every loop hole, citizens are migrating in droves due to taxes, and protestors have gotten violent."

"Perhaps the Republic should have kept a stronger hand on things," Jade shot back.

"Perhaps the Empire should have had more consideration for Republican business interests to keep the market balanced," Luke slid the comment right in under hers.

The two of them glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.

"The point is," Doruk ignored them, "it's too late now. We have to scrap the treaty, force the division again."

"Why not make a new treaty?" Jade asked. "Spend this time making a workable treaty instead of backtracking into possible war?"

"Because it will never work," Bel Ibis answered, "the New Republic and Empire simply cannot get along."

"As it stands, you're right," Luke quickly said, "but it can work if you give it a chance."

"Pipe dreams, boy," Doruk huffed.

"We've made up a plan," Bel Ibis slid a datapad across the table towards Lady Jade who caught it and began reading. "It's a step process in closing the borders and the trade. This should allow everyone time to make sure they are on the side they want to be on before it's over."

"I see," Jade continued to read the room went silent.

Anakin didn't have to be a Jedi to see that neither Luke nor Jade liked what was happening. Hell, he didn't like what was happening. Peace was always the ultimate goal, that's why he was willing to not so much as push but at least not pull Luke out of the arranged marriage. Now both sides were giving up? Padme had been pro-looking for another solution but was vastly outnumbered and even she was eventually silenced.

He asked the Force for guidance and all it told him was one word: patience.

Anakin didn't have a good track record with being patient.

"Well," Jade passed the datapad over to Luke, "I would ask you why I wasn't informed of this little _talk_ but I'll spare you your pre-arranged scripted answer."

Doruk bristled, "Lady Jade—"

"Silence," she cut him off with a powerful stroke to the tone of the word, "save it for someone who cares."

The Lady's reputation, or more accurately her grandfather's, preceded her. Anakin knew she was not a dark side user but she proved she was sharp and not to be underestimated at Leia's wedding. His son, however, didn't seem fazed at all by her and he trusted Luke to have a better understanding of the Lady than himself.

There was a short stare down between the two but it was easily won by Jade. Doruk then cleared his throat and said, "Your presence is… requested," he might have been about to say 'required', "on Coruscant for the announcement. The senator and Jedi are here to collect young Skywalker."

"You'll have a day to pack," Bel Ibis added, "that should be enough time?"

"That would be enough, yes," Luke nodded.

"Good," Doruk started to stand, "glad this is over with."

"Were do you think you're going?" Jade said to the man, the others around the table who had also been starting to stand went still in their seats.

"We're finished here?" Doruk managed to say, completely unsure of himself.

"No, you're finished," she stood and Doruk shrinked back into his chair, "I'm just getting started."

Lady Jade's eyes swept across the table and her anger was visible in the tight lines of her face and tension in her hands gripping the edge of the surface. She took in one long breath then laughed.

And kept laughing. Not maniacal laughing. Just laughing. Shaking her head.

"Lady Jade?" Anakin was able to ask seeing not a single trace of confusion on Luke's face, in fact, there was a touch of mirth there.

"You know," Jade managed to catch her breath, "since before I could remember I have been the good little Imperial princess. I have done anything, given everything, for the Empire, for this _peace_."

"And the Empire thanks—" Doruk began to say and the man was knocked backwards by a sweep of her hand. Not hard enough to hurt him, just enough to put him in his place.

Anakin was about to stand but he saw his son gesture to hold. Quickly he sensed out and still no dark side was seeping from the woman, just simple pent up anger like any normal, regular person might suffer through had they been in her place and not force-sensitive.

"Grand Admiral Doruk," Jade straightened her blouse, calming herself as the man struggled back to his feet with the help of an aid. Was she using a Jedi calming technique? "You can tell Chancellor Beddine that I will _not_ be joining him on Coruscant unless he can get his act together. And by act I mean put the people first and stop acting like a five year old who can't share his toys!"

"You…" Doruk stood, shocked, "you won't be coming back to the Empire?"

She paused, swallowing hard, "Not at this time."

"But… where will you…?" he eyes glanced to the other side of the table where the New Republic representatives sat.

"The Tion Cluster," she answered, "it's neutral space."

"Oh," there was a note of relief in his voice, then, "but why? The Empire needs you now, more than ever."

"No," she shook her head sadly, "you and Beddine need me, and not to actually do anything but stand there and look pretty supporting your idiocracy. I'm getting tired of being the puppet. When you actually want my _help_ in _fixing_ this mess, you know where I'll be."

Anakin sat in mild shock at the exchange in front of them. Was Lady Jade, one of the Empire's staunchest supporters, abandoning the Empire? What could posses her to do such a thing?

"Gentlemen," Jade cleared her throat, "get the frell off my ship. All of you. Now!"

"Lady Jade," Bel Ibis managed to find his voice, "this is an unexpected turn, perhaps we can discuss it while we wait for Knight Skywalker to pack."

"There's no need to wait, you can leave now," Luke informed the senator. Anakin could sense something in his son that reminded him entirely too much of himself. He wasn't sure if that was supposed to make him proud or terrified.

"You said it would take a day?" Bel Ibis questioned.

"If I were to pack," Luke acknowledged, "but I'm staying with Mara and going to the Tion Cluster with her."

There was a small exchange between Luke and Jade, a deep understanding and acceptance of what they were doing and resolve to do it.

"You can't turn your back on the Republic!" Bel Ibis said with perhaps more whine than he expected, the man obviously conscious of Doruk still standing across the table in a similar predicament.

"I'm not," Luke's eyes met his father's, "I am following the Force and my heart. Peace was always the goal, always will be, and until the Republic sees that again, there is nothing there for me political wise. My family is of course always welcome to visit us in the Cluster."

Mary nodded in agreement. "We gave so much to our governments and they turned their backs on us. We have been used, abused, and I am not amused. You, Luke?"

"Hardly," he smirked.

"There will never be peace," Bel Ibis echoed his earlier words.

"The Empire and Republic cannot get along," Doruk agreeded, "we are simply too different."

"You're wrong," Jade shook her head, "peace is always an option."

"And it can be obtained," Luke added, confidence in his voice.

"You're being idealistic, boy," Doruk scoffed.

"Hey," Anakin jumped to his son's defense, "that boy has more back bone than you _and_ the moral high ground, I suggest you shut up and listen. If he thinks peace can work, then believe him."

Bel Ibis turned towards the Jedi Master, "Aren't you going to try to stop him?"

He blinked, "Why?"

The senator frowned, "Right, I forgot who I was talking to."

Anakin looked to his son, "You're sure though, this is what you want?"

He nodded surely, "Yes."

"This is nonsense," Doruk exclaimed. "You want me to believe that you two honestly think the Empire and Republic can get along!"

Luke sighed, "How should I put this…?"

His son reached over and gently grabbed Jade's sleeve, tugging her towards him. She didn't shout or bulk but instead leaned into the gesture, falling softly towards Luke, ending up sitting across his lap. Before Anakin, or anyone, could register what they were seeing, the two began to kiss as two people well acquainted with each other would.

Finally the last piece of the puzzle hooked together for Anakin. His son, the man who wanted to spend his life dedicated to the Force, had fallen for the one woman in the galaxy he probably shouldn't have and she had obviously fallen for him as well.

Yep, he was his father's son alright.


	26. Chapter 26 - Redundancy

**Thank you once again to all my lovely readers! Only Three Chapters left after this one... **

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**Chapter 26 – Redundancy**

"One point three percent," Mara said approvingly, entering the living area where Luke and Anakin were sitting.

"One point three?" Luke asked, head turning in her direction.

"The ones who want to leave," she answered before going to the bar to get herself some Joba juice.

Luke let out a silent sigh of relief, they knew they made a big gamble deciding to leave and they hoped it wasn't going to backfire on them.

After the delegates were kicked off the ship, Mara sent out a message stating that any who didn't want to come with them would get their pension and a ride to the nearest Imperial Outpost, no questions asked. Luke was secretly afraid that they would be left with so much of a skeleton crew that they might as well take their personal ships and leave the Star Destroyer behind.

"That's a very small contingent of your crew," Anakin commented.

"It's mostly the ones who still have families they actually want to see," she came around and took a seat next to Luke on the sofa. "We don't know how long we're going to be away."

Most of Mara's crew was made up of people she had given second chances too, hard cases that only needed someone to believe in them, and this usually meant individuals who did not come from happy home lives. This ship was their family now.

"What are you going to do about supplies?" the Jedi Master asked and Luke could not blame his father's curiosity.

"The Tion Cluster is not a wasteland," Luke's wife grinned, "and I'm rather rich. It all works out."

"Won't Beddine have your accounts frozen?" Anakin asked.

"Oh, he can try," she sipped her drink ruefully.

Luke chuckled, "Mara is not one to take any chances. Even her redundancies have redundancies."

Mara glanced over at him and they shared a look between them, one that said there was one time she did take a chance and there was no redundancy for what was happening between them. They just told the two biggest governments in the galaxy to go kriff themselves, so whatever it was, they pretty much resigned themselves to letting what may be.

…

"So," Anakin said into the silence that was only awkward for him. He was happy his son was happy but the way he went about it almost put his own youthful transgressions to shame. At least Padme was on the same side. "Have you two made any decisions on what you'll be doing then?"

"Um," Luke furrowed his brow and Lady Jade's mouth was slightly gaped. "Not really."

Anakin wasn't terribly surprised, "You were just going to fly off into the Cluster and take a vacation?"

"Something like that," Jade said, lacking any of the surety normal in her voice.

"You two really don't know," he chuckled a little, not terribly surprised.

"Well," his son cleared his voice, "it was a bit of a last minute decision. You didn't exactly give us much of a lead time."

"True," Anakin grinned, suddenly wondering just how much trouble he could get himself into. "So, thinking about kids? What's the plan there because you know your mother will ask me when I get back."

Both of them went pale, especially Jade. While neither jumped to answer, they also didn't try to contest his assumption. Dear Force, could it be, neither had actually thought so far ahead?

Well, it was his son.

Jade cleared her throat, "Non-issue."

Luke didn't correct her, he didn't say anything actually. His mental shields were tight but Anakin could guess he was a bit annoyed, maybe even angry, at his father, for bringing up the subject but it had to be done. They just took a very big step leaving the Empire and New Republic and the longer they carried on their relationship… well… like he said… even redundancies need redundancies.

…

"Let me apologize," Luke finally couldn't hold in his embarrassment any longer.

"What for?" came her muffled reply. Mara was in the closet, checking her uniform for tomorrow's speech.

Luke moved to the door, "His comments were out of line."

"No they weren't," she stepped towards the entrance, "they were perfectly in line for a man like him."

He raised an eyebrow, "A man like him?"

"You said it yourself," she shrugged, starting to pull off her clothes, the hamper next to the closet, "he's very big on family, relationships, etc. It's natural for him to be interested in having grandchildren. I imagine your sister has gotten the worse of it though."

"Ah, oh," well, when it's put that way…

Mara was still undressing for the night, now she lay bare in just her underwear. It was made of simple soft cloth but she wore it so enticingly. He found himself staring.

"Luke?" he glanced up to find her smirking.

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly.

"It's been a long day," she stepped closer, a mere breath away, "I'm so tired."

"Don't look tired to me," his eyes traveled every inch of her to make the point. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, in mind and body, and sometimes the body overruled the mind.

She chuckled, even smiled, and he knew he was one of the few to ever see such emotion pass her lips. Pulling her against him he did what came natural and kissed her deeply, lovingly, cautious about the future though proud of what they both had done.

But his father had sowed that seed in his mind, "Mara," he said against her lips, "what if, you know…"

Mara pulled away, one eyebrow raised, a slight smirk to her grin, "No, I don't know… what pray-tell?"

"Ah, well," suddenly he found the room was too hot and his tongue swollen and dry, "what if we… when we…"

Taking pity on him she laughed, "Oh Luke, you can be so cute at times."

"I have my moments," he grumbled but couldn't hide a level of mirth in the words.

"Don't worry about it," she wrapped her arms around him and her body was impossibly close to his now, "redundancies, remember."

"Of course," he rolled his head in a 'why didn't I think of that' manner then kissed her ever so softly.

As Mara urged him back towards the bed he went more than willingly but his mind was still curious over the subject… would they ever have children, did he even want children, did she?

Pushing the thoughts aside because he knew she would eventually be privy to them as their bodies became one he let the subject drop for now because no matter what, this was definitely not the time to discuss that one aspect of their future… especially as there was already too much unknown they were about to walk into.

…

It had been strange, the first few nights, sleeping with someone else beside her. The bed was warmer, to start with, and her area to move in was cut in half. He made noises too, not overbearing snoring as seen in the holovids, only simple sounds of breathing and movement. And of course there was the small fact that he was there, in her personal space, and she didn't have to be on guard about it.

Mara never thought she'd get used to it but here she was, sharing her bed with Luke, and completely okay with it.

Would wonders never cease?

Sitting up on her side she stared down at his sleeping face, so peaceful and sweet, and kind, always so very kind. Every time she thought about their relationship she couldn't believe it, couldn't understand it, and that frightened her but the challenge of figuring it out exhilarated her.

And now she was going to run away with him. Partly because she was tired of being pushed around, this was a long time coming, but also, for an inexplicable reason, she didn't want to leave Luke.

Was this the evidence she was looking for? It was definitely worthy of note as she attempted to solve the puzzling mystery of her own emotions. She was afraid she may never figure it out.

And if she didn't…

Where else could this relationship go? Would it last? Would this all be worth it? Would they ever have a typical relationship and family? Would they have kids?

Mara flopped onto her back, taking a long, deep, breath. Great, all she needed was one more complication. Damn that Jedi, he was cleverer than she had given him credit for but she should have realized that from the beginning.

…

The next day the following open vid was sent to the Imperial Ruling Council and the New Republic Senate.

_To the members of our beloved governments, please understand that while we share a great respect for our perspective homelands, we can no longer accept nor live under the conditions for which you have placed us. Thus being, we have taken it upon ourselves to remove into the Tion Cluster, neutral territory._

_You put us together as a symbol of harmony, a message we have attempted to spread across our two governments. We support whole heartedly that our two worlds could live in peace. _

_You then asked us to separate as a symbol of discord, a new message you now wish to spread. We do not accept this and will not support a continued decline into conflict. _

_We continue to hope that there may yet be a workable solution to our differences and will be the first to help in any endeavor that serves towards this purpose. Until that time, we will attempt to find peace in our own way, away from both our worlds of which our love for is unimaginable. We truly wished that it would have not come to this._

_Lady Mara Jade - __Knight Luke Skywalker_

Of course, it didn't take long for the true extent of the couple's relationship to become public. Once it did… well… the reaction was unlike anything anyone could have ever possibly predicted.


	27. Chapter 27 - The Crest

**Thank you again for reading, esp those who review, I know I don't always reply to every review but each and every one is awesomesauce! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 27 – The Crest**

"Does anyone have any clue what's going on here?" Luke sat stunned in front of the holo receiver, his sister on the other end.

"Other than the mass, organized, riots?" Leia raised her eyebrow and gave him a soured look.

"Well, other than that… yeah," he bit his tongue. He wasn't completely ignorant of politics thanks to his mother… but this was something new, for everyone. With so much unrest in the past several months he almost felt bad about hiding out in the empty space of the Tion Cluster, but what could he do? He and Mara already tried but their own governments turned their backs on them and their people. Short of a full scale revolt against the Empire and New Republic, there was nothing they could do.

They made it quite clear though that they would not be involved in violence, it was not the answer.

"We're not entirely sure," Leia moved slightly out of frame as she reached for a datapad. "It seems it started on Corellia…"

"That doesn't surprise me," considering he had fair experience with Corellians and they were a passionate, no-nonsense bunch.

"A few port labor unions went on strike, there was an altercation and people got hurt," Leia scanned the document, "and the resulting protests gave rise to the first recorded images. From there it spread across the galactic data holonetwork and picked up. Now every planet has large groups of protestors using it as their insignia."

Luke mulled that over, in the five months since he and Mara went on 'extended leave', this was the first he was hearing about the emblem, though apparently it had popped up almost immediately after the labor strike which was only weeks after their departure. "Is there a leader, an instigator?"

"None that we can find," Leia sighed, sitting back in her chair, "and trust me, both sides are looking. We can trace it back to the first upload of the image but by all accounts that person is as shocked as the rest of us that it has been used this way."

"Who is he?" was the next logical question.

"Just some art student at one of Corellia's major universities," Leia went back to the datapad. "His brother was hurt in the strike and he expressed his opinion the only way he knew how, he drew it. But this wasn't what he meant by it."

That surprised Luke, "What was it meant to symbolize then?"

"A unified galaxy," she shrugged, "a working treaty where all person's rights were protected, Republican and Imperial. He never considered it to symbolize you two, that seemed to come out of nowhere."

Luke sat back in his chair, trying to make sense of it all. The symbol was popping up everywhere across the data network, in graffiti, on protest signs. Most didn't know when or where they saw it first, but they knew what it meant to them.

It design started with the Imperial Crest which was taken from the Emblem of the Galactic Republic. When it was the Emblem, it stood for unity. When it was repurposed for the Empire by Palpatine it was changed and became a symbol of strength. Interwoven in the cog-like image was the Insignia of the Alliance, a symbol both of community and rebirth. Placed together they stood for Unity, Strength, Community and Rebirth. Everything that the people of the galaxy desired in this time of unrest…

Everything that Luke and Mara stood for… apparently.

"No one knows how it got linked to us?" Luke asked again, it was a question he had repeated several times since learning of the new crest.

"Not as so far," Leia shrugged. "It started to be used almost immediately once the student put it up on the holonetwork. It started to be used in conjunction with your speech and next thing it's being used in place of the speech."

Luke kind of saw the train of logic there, but then masses of people don't move or think the same way an individual would. "How wide spread is it, surely the holonews is exaggerating."

Leia shook her head, "Not this time brother."

That gave Luke a lot to think about…

…

"Hey," Luke slid his arms around her from behind and kissed her on the neck. He was such an affectionate one, but it stopped bothering her a few months back.

"Hey," she answered back. "I'll be working late, don't wait up for me."

His eyes scanned the document she was reading, "Empire coming up at a dead end as well?"

"There are still plenty loyal to the Imperial House," she nodded, flipping through some reports, "and they've given me complete and up to date information regarding their investigation. This really does seem like a grass-roots movement. A flicker of an idea that sprouted a flame."

A slow moment passed and he scanned the documents, Mara not bothering to hide anything from him. On occasion she would pull the 'you're still a rebel' shtick on him and limit his access of 'top secret information'. He didn't mind too much, he'd probably do the same should the situation become reversed. As much as they were equal, they accepted that they were different and there were some things that simply couldn't be changed.

"You've heard what they've been saying?" Luke said quietly against her ear.

"It's just words," she mumbled, flicking to another report. "Rhetoric is symptomatic of your people, thought you'd be used to it by now."

This was true, the New Republic council did enjoy their speeches, but still, "Then why are your citizens just as loud as mine?"

Mara turned her head and gave him a sour look, his face inches from hers, "Likely due to too much interaction with idealistic rebels."

"I see nothing wrong with this," he grinned and seized the opportunity to kiss her slowly. They had been so busy the past few days since the revolts and protests had broken out on a galactic level.

His wife melted against him, the reports forgotten for the moment.

…

Mara sat at the dining table, breakfast getting cold as she looked over the reports she didn't get to the night before. It was a minor annoyance but she had needed the break, she was much higher strung than her husband and she appreciated his effect on her.

"I do like the symbol," Luke said, turning around the datapad he was holding so she could see the merged emblems. "Maybe we can adopt it as a family crest?"

"One would need a family to have a family crest," Mara pointed out, not bothering to look up and quickly adding, "and right now is not the time to be discussing that subject again."

She could just see him working his jaw, then sighing. There was plenty of time to discuss this, later… much later… yes.

"Well," Luke cleared his throat, "I suppose we should be flattered by it in any case."

That caught her attention. "Oh?"

"We got married to represent peace between our governments," he gestured to the crest again, "and we're doing just that… without even trying."

"It's rhetoric Skywalker," she sighed, why did she have to be the practical one of the two? His optimism was sweet and refreshing but sometimes she just wanted to smack him upside his handsome face. "The people want an end to fighting, to our governments screwing everything up in bureaucratic nonsense. That's what allowed Paplatine to forge the Empire. The government needed a strong leader with the power to get things down without having to wait for a committee to get around to deciding anything."

"That's well and good," Luke didn't hide his sarcasm, "except that power corrupts and the needs of the people can easily be overlooked when the Emperor has a personal prejudice against a particular race or industry. When you have a Senate, then every person has a vote, has the ability to affect change."

"A person is intelligent," Mara shot back, "people are panicky and reactionary idiots."

"Power corrupts," Luke countered, "absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"You've used that one already," she easily bantered, "but let's not get into a battle of quotes again, it's tiresome."

"Yeah," Luke sat back, "I've used all my good ones already."

Mara chuckled a little, relaxing. She and Luke would never really agree on the subject of governments but at least at the end of the day they could still be friends about it, accepting of each other's differences. If only their two governments could be as obliging.

"You know what I was thinking?" Luke said casually, cutting into his breakfast carbings.

"Sometimes," she replied with amusement as Luke blushed ever so slightly.

"Not about _that_," he corrected, "but about the whole government issue."

Mara decided to stop dragging herself down with the reports and set them aside, opting to take a drink of her Joba juice. "What about it?"

Her husband shrugged, "That you're right."

That made Mara pause, for a moment believing she heard wrong, or was mistaken. "I'm right?"

"I still believe in equal representation of the people," Luke slowly twirled his fork in his hand, "but having a smaller, more authoritative ruler, someone who is able to 'get things done' as it where is also beneficial."

"Like the Imperial High Council?" she asked, the group being just that, the whole of the Imperial government, the decision makers.

"Similar," Luke nodded, "but they are in power because they seized it. Elected officials are less apt to be abusive to their powers and more likely to listen to the people."

Mara chewed her lip, "Beddine does do whatever he wants, making him accountable for his actions has always been an uphill battle."

"Exactly," the Jedi smiled, "both of our governments have good ideas but fundamentally fail."

"We need a government that takes 'the best of both worlds'…" she picked up his train of thought. "Something that is powerful enough to fix all the problems but weak enough that they don't turn so totalitarian that we end up with another Palpatine on our hands."

"Basically," Luke scratched his ear, "but easier said than done, right?"

"Always…"

…

"Yes?" Mara tapped at the holocomm and one of the communications officer's faces popped up.

"Lady Jade, a ship has approached our air space," he said crisply, "they are requesting to speak with you."

"Who are they?" she asked, had they presented themselves as hostile the officer would have opened with that statement.

"Corellian cruiser," he just as quickly replied. "Coronet-class. Transponder shows it to be part of the Corellian Ship Builder's Union fleet."

Mara thought about this for a second. She had had several requests for an audience since they left and most she had refused as they were usually reporters or annoyed diplomats. This was the first time someone had actually made the trek all the way out into empty space.

"Put it through," she decided.

"Very good, ma'am," the image flicked off and Mara knew she only had a few seconds to compose herself, the perfect expression of feigned indifference on her face.

"Ah, Lady Jade," a dark haired older gentleman came across the holocomm, about as rugged and broad as most of his fellow Corellians. "I am Terran Mallo of the Corellian Builder's Union and may I say what a pleasure it is to be able to speak with you."

"We can dispense with the pleasantries," she frowned, "I assume you want something, what would that be?"

That ruffled the man slightly, but he continued, "We would like you and your husband's help, madam."

"We've made our stance clear on his," she sighed, "we do not condone violence as a solution to the current situation."

"Do you have a better solution?" he quickly shot back, likely embolden by the fact he was in another ship far outside her reach.

Mara didn't let it faze her, "I've had a thought or two."

"I figured you might," Terran smiled, "and I'd be very interested in hearing those thoughts."

She tapped her fingers on the console and considered his words carefully. "What are you up, Mr Mallo?"

The Corellian took a long breath, "There has been a lot of talk, Lady Jade, I'm sure you've heard."

"I have…" she answered slowly.

"The time for talking is over."

…

"Let me get this straight," Luke glanced over at the Corellian Union delegates, the man Terran in particular. "You are proposing a galactic wide push for a new _galactic_ government?"

"Yes," he nodded without hesitation. "We have two governments right now and they don't work together. The only way we can keep our galaxy from devolving further into war is to abolish them and set up a new government, something that all sides can agree on."

"You're insane," Mara said plainly and Luke was apt to agree. "Have you watched the troop placements and space fleet movements? Both the Empire and New Republic set on the edge of another war that will make the Clone Wars seem like a little spat between a Protocol droid and a waitress. You try to move against either of them, make them feel threatened, and the whole situation will spiral out of control."

"While I am all for a peaceful galactic solution," Luke added, "now is not the time to be attempting to abolish the two governments. Both sides suffered terrible losses and endured too much to get where they are. I think you'll find that the people, who while at the moment may wish an end to the violence, will find their sense of nationality, of identity, too strong to simply allow for their world to be given a clean slate."

"Not to mention the logistics," her wife rolled her eyes at the Union leader. "Do you know how many individual laws would have to be drafted to cover the local governing, taxes, trade? By the time you sorted out simple interplanetary commerce laws under a new galactic government linking the rim to the core you'd, well, you'd have exactly what happened under the last peace treaty, only fifty time worse because the military would, in a sense, have to be disbanded."

"Local governors and industry would be allowed to run amuck," Luke continued, "and there isn't enough Jedi to be able to cover the fall out, if the Jedi would even be allowed to help in many ex-Imperial areas. No, what you ask is simply impractical. Not to mention that the people who couldn't agree on a proper truce would likely be the ones trying to agree on this new government, you can see where I'm going here."

Terran Mallo cleared his through, "I see you've put a lot of thought into this."

"Some," Mara smirked.

"What would you propose then?" the Corellian asked.

Luke glanced over at his wife who shared the same look as he did. It was a subject that they had talked on at length.

"A new tier," she said simply, "let the Empire and New Republic stand as they are but make them accountable to a ruling council which would have the power to force change where required to allow both to function together and separately from each other."

"It would be elected officials," Luke added, "so they themselves will also be accountable and they would also come from both sides, this way both sides could be represented."

"A ruling council?" Mallo glanced over at the other Union leaders who nodded their approval. "How many members?"

"Um," Luke frowned, "we haven't agreed on that one yet."

"Too many would create the same bogged down issues as the New Republic," Mara said specifically to him.

"And too few does not allow for the representation of an entire galaxy of individuals whose rights are at stake," he countered for the umpteenth time.

"It's a work in progress," his wife directed at Terran, "but it's still a much better idea than trying to abolish two governments that essentially work, just need to work together."

One of the other Union delegates leaned over and whispered something into Mallo's ear and the man nodded before turning his attention back the couple. "Yes, well, thank you again Lady Jade, Knight Skywalker, you've given us plenty to think about."

"Just," Mara sighed, "don't do anything stupid. The galaxy is a thermal detonator two blips from boom right now, you'll do well to remember that."

"We will," the man gave a reassuring smile.

…

"I'm going to throw that man out an airlock," Mara mumbled, rolling over from being snuggled against Luke.

"No you're not," Luke chuckled, it was very early but the communications officer wouldn't bother her if it wasn't important.

"Yes?" she said none too nicely into the comm next to their bed.

"Incoming message from Anakin Skywalker," the voice on the other end reported. "He says it's important and needs to speak to both of you."

Mara look back at Luke who suddenly got a horrible feeling, could something be wrong? His mother or sister hurt? Surely he'd feel something in the Force if that was true.

"Put it through," Mara snapped, "audio only."

"Yes, ma'am," he said and the line went dead for a second.

"Luke?" his father's voice came across. "What the hell is going on?"

While that statement eased Luke's worry that something had happened to his family it didn't do much to belay his confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"It's all over the holonetwork," the older Jedi said impatiently. "Scores of protestors are calling for a new regime."

Mara let out a curse under her breath. They had warned Mallo not to attempt such a thing. It could only get worse from here on out.

"What's the damage?" Mara asked, starting to get out of bed, pulling her robe from the floor.

"Nothing so far," Anakin admitted, "no one is sure what to make of it yet."

Luke was beginning to think him and his father were having two separate conversations. "Make of what?"

"Several groups across Corellia, Coruscant, the outer rim, even Bakura," his father rattled off a few more, "they have all called for an oversight council. A ruling body that would have absolute control over making sure that Empire and Republic get along."

The couple exchanged glances, this was exactly what they told Mallo.

"And," the Jedi continued, "they are voting for you two to be that council."


	28. Chapter 28 - One Choice

**You are all the best! Second to last chapter! **

**Chapter 28 – One Choice**

"Does anyone know what's going on?" Mara sounded impatient, really impatient, and that was never a good sign. "Anyone?!"

"Your guess is as good as ours," Mothma called from across the room, the Alliance's little corner.

The whole audience chamber was self-segregated, Alliance, Empire, Luke and Mara, and several high ranking members of some of the biggest unions from both sides of the divide all had unconsciously created their own areas in the Ithorian council chamber.

Ithor, the place where it all started.

Where Luke first met his future wife, the woman he'd fall in love with, run away with, and where'd he now face down anyone who matters, politically wise, in the galaxy. The Jedi often talked of the Force brining everything full circle, you end where you start, which is why you should always follow the path of light else you may never stumble out of the darkness. Luke had an uncanny feeling that a circle was closing for good… and considering the whole situation started out as a forced mess…

"I don't know why a traitor such as yourself would be invited to a summit," Beddine spoke loudly from the Imperial section.

"Shove it out an airlock," Luke's wife shouted back. She hated the word traitor, it riled her unlike anything else and he understood why.

However, "Mara, he's not worth the loss of oxygen an airlock release would seep into the vacuum."

She glanced back at Luke, then Beddine, and snorted, "You're right."

Another council member, Doruk, smirked, "Looks like someone was finally able to put a leash on Jade after all."

If only they knew exactly how wrong of an assessment that was, he could no more control Mara's actions than he could make Master Yoda speak a sentence correctly. Luke simply knew his wife and all her quirks.

"Skewer them with a lightsaber," he suggested instead, "quick, clean, no waste."

Mara thought it over, Doruk going a bit pale, but Luke could see the inching grin on her face. He then gave a teasing smile towards the Alliance who had paused at his words. At first they had been very questionable about his relationship with the Lady Jade, wondering if she had somehow tricked Luke or used the Dark Side on him. It took Anakin's assurances that no such thing had occurred, and if anything, Luke had put undue influence on Jade.

She was fire and he water… cancelling each other out but working so perfectly in tandem to create something new.

"Gentlemen, ladies," the union leader, Terran Mallo, walked into the room with one of the Ithorian high chancellors at his side, "I apologize for keeping you waiting."

"I thought the Ithorian Council called this meeting?" Bel Ibis asked the question on everyone's mind. The Ithorians, being a neutral planet, had been known to ask two opposing factions to their peaceful homeworld in hopes of coming to a solution. It worked because the Ithorians never… ever… took sides.

"I did," said Taroo Madon, a high standing member of the Ithorian Council of Elders, "but I did seek advice both from Leader Mallo and others."

"Whatever the unions are selling," Mara was the first to respond, "we're not buying."

There was a general murmur of agreement but Taroo let out a large waning holler from two of his four throats silencing them all. "I ask you to listen, that is all."

It was highly rude to turn your back on an Ithorian who is attempting to broker peace and no one wanted to break that taboo. Satisfied, the tall alien directed the floor to Mallo who bowed and stepped forward.

"It's become painfully obvious to all of us," the man started out, projecting his voice clean and clear, "that a successful treaty between the governments is highly beneficial to all of us, but that this will simply not happen and we will continue to back into a full fledge war which none of us want to see."

"War is good for business," Mothma pointed out, distaste obvious in her voice. "We are to believe the Union Leader of a ship-building guild would not want to see an increase in production?"

"If the Union Leader has three boys of military age, yes," Mallo shot back and the New Republican High Chancellor frowned apologetically, "besides, with increased import/export and tourism of an open border, we won't be running out of contracts just yet."

"We tried peace," Beddine was the one to point out, "it didn't work."

"Because you didn't try hard enough," Mara said spitefully. "Did nothing but bickered."

"Exactly!" Mallo cut off any retort. "Every union, every guild, knows that the only way to run a productive shop is oversight. You need someone to make sure that every worker is being as productive as possible while also maintaining the quality and standards expected of the shop."

"These are governments you're talking about," Bel Ibis shook his head, "not a textile manufacturer."

"I'd have you argue the difference," Luke defended Mallo, he had given a similar argument to Mara before and she agreed with him. A government is nothing but one large corporation… hostile takeovers tended to lead to all out wars but the concept was the same.

"What are you getting at, Mallo," Mothma asked before the hot blooded Corellian could say anything.

"I've spoken to other union leaders," Mallo referenced the group behind him, "and we had come to the conclusion that some kind of oversight was needed for this peace to work, the problem was, we didn't know who would be the right person or persons for the job."

Luke and Mara exchanged glances, the redhead then shaking her head, "No, no, no, I see where you're going with this, Mallo, and we're hopping transports."

This sent another murmur through the room, Beddine speaking up, "Explain."

"Lady Jade and Knight Skywalker have already shown their favor of a peaceful solution to the problem at hand," Mallo addressed both governments with the same intensity of a man trying to sell his last sky-hopper off the lot, "they have shown a balanced favoritism for both governments, and the people already look to them, already plead to have them be their deliverance."

"You're asking to follow the rabble that has been all over the holonews?" Beddine almost scoffed but as he finished the sentence a glimmer of something caught in his eye.

"Create a higher level of government, a new Emperor and Empress who would only have control on a galactic scale," Mothma mused. "That way the New Republic and Alliance could still operate as they deemed fit but there would be definitive solutions to all the problems with integration."

"Wouldn't the Ithorians be a better choice?" Doruk asked, looking between his boss and the leader of the New Republic.

"Perhaps," Taroo conceded, "but we would never have the experience of the Skywalkers, two souls from two worlds."

"That might just work," Mothma had a light touch to her voice, "no one could claim they favored one government over the other."

Beddine nodded, "As much as I deplore the thought of taking orders from Lady Jade, she could do this."

"NO!" Mara shouted, stomping on her feet towards the middle of the room, and while she was either equal to or shorter than everyone there, they all cowered in her presence. "I will _not_ be asked to take rulership of this galaxy under threat of war. Saviors are only demons cast in the light of too many torches trying to find their way. I will not even consider what you're asking, I won't be… I'm not my grandfather," the last sentence came out hard and cold.

"No one is suggesting that," Beddine pointed out.

"That's _exactly_ what you're suggesting," she bit out, cold and hard.

"Mara," Luke said the word as evenly and strongly as possible, feeling that old familiar ache of darkness start to creep upon her. He thought the demon was licked for good, he was wrong, so he was just going to have to fight harder this time.

"You listening to what they're saying?" to anyone else it was just a spoken question, Luke could hear the pleading in her voice.

"Yes, I am," he locked his eyes with hers, not letting her look away, taking her hand with his and pulling her close, "and I'm listening to what they aren't saying as well."

She crinkled her brow as she let herself be held, "What?"

"They aren't fighting, they aren't arguing," he pointed out with a whisper, "they want this, they only bolster to look good. Both sides have gotten themselves onto to too proud a pedestal that neither can back down."

Their gazes fell on Mothma and Beddine and the guilt was there in the ruler's faces. Luke wouldn't have put it past the two of them to be behind the whole union push towards a centralized government, or at least have some hand in it.

Realization dawned in Mara's eyes, but her fear still hid in the small creases of her face and the way she flexed the muscles of her hands, ready to fight. "I don't want to be an Empress."

"And I don't want to be an Emperor," Luke looked as his wife sadly, "and that's why we're perfect for the job."

Mara glanced around, each leader, councilman, and senator looking to them as some kind of a symbol of hope. Outwardly she looked as strong as she ever did, a perfect mask of royalty, but Luke could feel the pain she carried at this decision. She tried so hard not to turn out as her grandfather wanted her to be… and somehow it was happening exactly as he had planned…

Well, maybe not exactly.

"I'll be right beside you, Mara," he assured her, feeling in the Force that he was making the right decision, that they would be able to check each other, to be firm but caring, "Together, we will fix everything that is broken as best we can."

"When we talked about that," she said quietly, referring to their long discussions that were supposed to be rhetorical, "I didn't mean us."

"And you think I did?" he gave her a lopsided grin, the whole situation seeming spiraling out of control, yet standing there in the middle of the audience chamber with his wife, he couldn't imagine himself anywhere else.

Mara took a deep breath, "The New Republic is going to have to buck up, take the hit, and give at least temporary tax breaks to certain industry or else no corporations are going to do business in their sector."

Luke nodded, "And the Empire needs to force their industry to make sure that all workers get a competitive wage and employee rights or else they will have a work-force exodus on their hands."

"So," Mallo, said meekly, "does that mean you'll do it?"

His wife turned and faced the man, "You do realize that your union's insistence on wages and benefits that can no longer be sustained is mostly responsible for the Corellian financial crisis? We're talking broad cuts across the board in order to combat inflation."

This made the man blink, "That a yes then?"

The couple shared a look, a sigh, and a soft smile.


	29. Chapter 29 - Symbolism

Well, here is it, the final chapter which remained unwritten for several months. I was threatened on more than one occasion to finish it… **ginchy** going so far as to show me where she'd bury my body if I didn't (true story).

I'd like to thank everyone from the Jedi Council Forums who waited so long and (not-so) patiently for the final chapter and who made the trek over here to see how it all turned out. You are my first Fan Fic family and I love you!

I'd also like to thank the members of my new Fan Fic family here on FFNet. I haven't been here long but so far you've been very warm and inviting! You have been more than I could have hoped for!

Let me also personally thank everyone who took the time to leave a review! I can never explain how much that means to me! **19sweetgirl96, AAA, anon, Assassin Exile, babzz, Boz, ccp, Chellerbelle, chunkymunk, CommChatter, Crazy, DarkJediJade, Darth Marrs, De Brussyere, de-lurking Guest, DonR, Emerald Crow, EvenstarDreamer, FairyVampire, fiesa, FlutePower, FireShifter, ginchy-amanda, GravityNeko, Guest, HFQ-LOS-KMS, JACarter, Jaina Liu, Jasmin Kenobi, Jedi-lover, Jedi1952, JediMara77, Jon36155, Kyubbiman, LadyArica, Lareate, laughingspider, Lodi, Mara Jade Hughes, MasterTraderJade, Mike, Mike3207, MMJade, MyNoseAgreesWithMe, nextplease, nucphyschem, OfficerDonNZ, Padfootkicksbutt, PeterHalsey, Rhett1980, Rosesforever294, Sil Arion, stella brillare, stormwolf3710, taramidala, Tavae Themisal, Teish, the brown cow, The Last Smith, The One, Treenahasthaal, Virgo's Shadow, xSuperNovax, Zigflorian. **And of course those who privately messaged me about Chapter 22.

I know I'm not the best at responding to reviews, but know that you guys are awesome and deserve all the free chocolate covered strizzleberries you can get!

And so… here we go!

* * *

**Chapter 29 – Symbolism**

"I say we string up the lot of them over a pit full of Rancors and see who gives in first," Mara said very casually to the men who were sitting at the other end of the table, blanching at her words.

"Or," Luke interrupted, "they could give us the detailed environmental impact reports we asked for and we'll compare that to what our own ecologists think before we even get to the point of considering the legitimacy of the Messilian Mine purchase."

"Oh, sure," she gave him a wry look but he could see the twinkle in her eyes, "that would be more reasonable but not much fun."

"I know," he nodded wisely at her and attempted not to laugh or grin all that much. It's not like the men they were dealing with didn't deserve the childish treatment, after all, they thought they could get away with being stubborn and refusing acknowledgement of Mara and Luke's new roles in the Galactic stage.

The Messilian Mine was on a border world and was a previously untapped precious metals deposit which was bought by an Imperial company under the previous treaty rules. Now that everything was getting reworked, the New Republic claimed they had ownership and the Imperials had purchased it illegally, or at least unlawfully. Mara was inclined to side with the Imperials stating that they had, at the time, purchased in good faith. Luke agreed to the point that the only reason the New Republic seemed to want it now was because they hadn't known about the deposits previously… however, that didn't mean that the New Republic weren't the legitimate owners and deserved some kind of compensation.

Overall though, Luke and Mara wasn't going to let anyone have the mine if they couldn't prove they wouldn't do more harm than good.

And they had the right to not let anyone own the mine. They could give it to anyone they wanted or declare that its resources remained untouched. This was part of the recently approved charter that declared the couple to be the Supreme Chancellors of the Planetary Alliance.

Luke took a particular irony to the fact that a governmental structure which employed an absolute ruler was called an Alliance, the name of the Rebellion which had gone against the last such ruler.

Every planet which listed themselves as either members of the Empire or New Republic were included automatically under their absolute rule. Whatever Luke and Mara said, went, whether it be accepting a particular tax plan or changing their planetary flag from yellow to blue… not that they would actually do the latter.

Seeing how well it was working in just the first month with Luke and Mara forcibly fixing everything that had gone wrong, resettling knee-jerk reactions and forcing corporations to behave themselves, many planets that had existed outside the direct membership of the two governments had started to inquire about joining the Alliance.

"You know," Mara said thoughtfully, "we could see if the Hapens are interested in the mines?"

"Oh," Luke raised his brow at that, "maybe we could work out something using it to help pay off the New Republican debt?"

"Hhmmm," she chewed her lip for a second, "possibly, but totally at wholesale."

"Of course," he nodded sagely at her, "but above cost."

"How does three days sound?" the Imperial lawyer gave in first.

"Sounds good to me," Mara gave him her best political smile then turned to the New Republican.

With a sour look the other representative said, "We'll have it in two."

"Good," Luke genuinely smiled, "the sooner we can take care of this, the better for everyone."

With that the men gathered up their stuff and left the couple in the conference room.

"And that was the last group for the day," Luke sad happily as he put his flimsiplast documents back in his folder.

"Thank goodness," Mara stretched in her seat. "If I had to listen to one more simpering egotistical reprobate in a suit I'd start lobbing off heads," she then paused, "I think I understand my grandfather a little better."

Luke knew he shouldn't but he let out a laugh at those words, "Well, Palpatine was at a disadvantage."

"Oh?" she turned and looked at him curiously.

"He didn't have me," Luke smiled at her, letting her know that he was right there with her and she never had to worry about becoming her worst fear.

"I'm glad he didn't," Mara leaned in, a rare actual smile on her face, "cause that would be so awkward."

The couple shared a laugh and kissed, lips gently brushing at first as if wondering if the other was truly there and this wasn't some strange dream. Reality was confirmed and they spent several minutes just enjoying each other's company.

"Let's go home," she whispered to him and he agreed. Packing up the rest of their stuff they headed out of the conference room towards the shuttle bay.

One of the first major decisions they made upon accepting their position as Supreme Chancellors was figuring out where their home base would be. Luke knew Mara would have preferred to ride around in her Star Destroyer but, for one, that wouldn't exactly be welcome on New Republic worlds considering the symbolism of the ship.

Second, even when Palpatine was Emperor he had staff to take care of the day to day for him, it was a simple by-product of any kind of mechanism, be it corporate or political. The Planetary Alliance staff would be a mix of Imperial and Republican nationalities, as well as some neutral worlds, and they would need to be placed somewhere.

They were still deciding who would be included on their staff, right now working with a skeleton crew of Mara's personal assistants plus a few New Republicans that Luke wanted, but they had chosen an old mining colony in the Tion Cluster as their base of operations.

"They say it will take only another standard month to finish," Luke gestured to some of the unfinished hallways.

"I'd rather stay on my ship," Mara frowned, though not many would be able to see the slight curve of her lips.

"I know," he pulled her against his side, "but that was your home, this will be our home."

"Yeah," she sighed and then as they came towards a specific cross hallway Mara let out a deep breath, "Ugh."

"Come on," Luke veered her towards the other hall to the large room at the end, "it's not that bad."

As they passed through the drop sheets that were slung across the door, looking at the various hover platforms the decorators used but where now on the floor as the men had gone to their apartments in the old mining barracks, Mara groaned, "Do we really need a ball room?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he grinned at her, she was much more open to him nowadays, though only when she thought they were alone. "We need a place to be able to receive large groups, we'll have to hold functions now again, you know the drill. I don't like it either but we knew it was part of the job."

"Yeah," she gestured to the two thrones on the end, both were ornate, armless, and carved from one block of sturdy wood from the forest moon of Endor. They were exactly equal down to their design, except one was a mirror of the other, "but do we really need thrones."

He frowned, "Apparently that's something both our sides agreed on, something to do with their symbolism and our place in the hierarchy."

"Symbolism, huh?" she walked over to the thrones and stared down at them for a moment. "Which one is mine?"

"I'm not sure…" Luke admitted as he joined her, "traditionally the man, the King or Emperor, sat to the left with this Queen or Empress to his right."

"But we're equal," she pointed out, walking between the thrones, "and hardly traditional."

"Maybe we can trade off," he suggested, "maybe whoever's side is receiving dignitaries can have the left throne?"

Mara thought about it, then frowned, "But what if it's a neutral party, or both sides are equally present?"

"Hmm," he nodded, walking forward and keeping a stern face, "I guess you'll just have to sit in my lap then."

"Uh huh," she kept a cool demeanor, "seems to me that would give you an advantage."

"Would it?" he raised an eyebrow and desperately tried to hold a grin.

She put her hands on her hip, "What if I wanted you in _my_ lap."

"Let's see," Luke sat down in the left throne and quickly pulled Mara down onto his lap, "no, this is definitely the better arrangement."

"Luke!" she squeaked and he silenced her with a kiss.

When they finally took a breath, Mara let herself be held in his arms and laid her head on his shoulder. "A few years ago and I never would have imagined myself in this place, like this, with anyone, let alone you. What have you done to me?"

"What have I done to you?" he let out a little laugh. "What have you done to me? I was all set to dedicate my life completely to the Jedi way, but being here, in this place, with you, I'm going to be able to do more for the Galaxy than I ever imagined, and have fun doing it too."

To accent his point he nuzzled against her ear, making Mara groan and shift to where she ended up straddling him on the throne.

"Luke," Mara said softly.

"Yeah," he looked up at her and smiled.

"It can't last," she frowned.

He echoed her frown, "What can't last? Us?"

"No," she shook her head, "everything we're doing here, we do because the people let us. They look to us as symbols of everything they want."

"Yes," he nodded his understanding.

"But when we are gone," she chewed her lip, "what happens then?"

"Ah," he had to stop and think about that one, "I guess they will choose a new Emperor and Empress."

"How?" she instantly said as if she expected his answer, "Will there be elections? I doubt they will conveniently find another couple such as ourselves."

"That does seem unlikely," he nodded, still thinking it over, "perhaps we should set down some time to speak to the heads of both governments in regards to succession, should anything happen to one or both of us."

"That's a good idea," she agreed with him, "we'll set that up for after the New Republican elections. Likely your Mon Mothma will be re-elected but all the same, we should would wait and see."

"Sounds good," Luke smiled and hadn't forgotten that she was sitting across his lap, so went in for another kiss only to have her pull back again.

"Luke," Mara looked thoughtful, "how is succession traditionally handled?

"Ah, well," he was now thoroughly confused, he would think she would know the answer to this, "usually through bloodlines, parent to child, sometimes siblings or nieces and nephews."

"Right," she nodded, "because if you had a child, presumably you could teach them, groom them, to be as wise a ruler as you."

"In theory," Luke couldn't help but think of Isolder and what all must have gone wrong there.

"In theory," she gave him a curious look, "so you're saying we'd need empirical data to know for sure?"

Luke was about to reply but then he stopped, not actually sure with what he was about to say. He acutely remembered the last time she wanted empirical data…

"Mara?" he tried to read her but her face has gone blank. "A child is not empirical data."

"I know that," Mara sounded a tad unsure. "I've just," she chewed her lip, "been thinking about it lately," she showed him a rare amount of uncertainty and confusion on her part. "Never mind," she started to remove herself from his lap but his hands stayed at her waist, making sure she'd literally have to remove herself, not just shrink away.

"Is this because of what my father said?" he looked her in the eye, "And Leia?" when his sister and her husband came to visit as Luke and Mara were starting the construction of their new home, Leia came with the news that she was expecting twins.

His wife looked as if she was going to argue or fight, but then her eyes collapsed shut and with a sigh her head fell softly to his shoulder, "Look what you've done to me, Luke, you've broken me."

"No," he responded quietly, running a hand through her hair, "I've given you back all your missing pieces."

They held each other like that for as long as they needed to, Mara weeping silently against him. "I'm scared, Luke, I've never been scared in my life."

He tilted her face up so he could see her shining green eyes, "We'll always have each other, Mara… as I said before…"

"we're in this together…"

"…as one."

Their lips met in mutual reverence, something more than lust… something even stronger than love…

Without the need of joining their bodies, their minds became one, flooding into each other and filling every crevice with their understanding, their love, their peace…

blurring the lines between their own souls…

offering everything that was one to the other…

permanently bonding themselves to one another…

a level of trust, of faith, of love, that could never break…

Luke jerked his head back, seeing in Mara's eyes the same surprise at the Force bond connection which seemed to have taken permanent root… but this was not his primary concern.

"You're pregnant?!"

/end

* * *

That's it, the end, I remember revealing my plans for the story to **ginchy** and **jade_lotus** in a closed coffee shop in a grocery store in Kentucky back in 2011. Didn't quite come out the way I had envisioned back then, but most things rarely do. Thank you all again for enjoying the ride this story took me and the characters on. It was a blast!

Now, if I might be allowed a moment of self-promotion…

If you like how I wrote Mara here, then please check out my first ever fan fic, _**Emperor's Shadow**_. It's a canon interpretation of the events between the Corellian Trilogy and the Thrawn Duology. I always thought that something had to have happened to Luke and Mara to get their characterizations into the right place for the events at the end of _Vision of the Future_. So, in this action murder mystery… everyone is a suspect but only Mara believes she's guilty.

In a few weeks, I will also start posting another L/M AU which was previously posted on the JFC…

_What if there was a second Chosen One after Anakin… and Mara was the one to carry him? How would Mara react to such a violation of her body? How will Luke help Mara make it through this with her sanity intact? What would Luke do to make sure the child doesn't suffer the same fate as Anakin? _

You thought _Symbols_ was bad with the angst and evil cliffies… consider this a warm-up to the main event that is _**Bearing **__**the **__**Chosen**_.

I've also recently gotten into writing X-Men fan fic. If you are interested in the X-Men franchise or looking for something a little different, please check out my first X-Men fan fic _**X-Men: Among Thieves**_, which is a movie (in prose form) to follow the movie _X-Men: First Class_. In this origin story, a mystery will send Rogue and Gambit travelling across the world, deeper into their pasts, and closer to each other… _if it doesn't kill them first._

I also have a blog for an upcoming project called _**X-Men: The (fan fic) Series**_. It's a series of short stories which are done in a faux tv show fashion. It's literally episodes of a proposed live-action X-Men tv series done in prose form, with four acts plus teaser and tag, and with an average 'running time' of 44 minutes. Check out my blog (which is linked in my profile) for more information, plus I also post news and articles about upcoming movies such as _X-Men: Days of Future Past_ and _Star Wars: Episode VII_.

I also have a workshop on the blog with tips and information about writing fan fiction. Check it out!

Well, thank you all again! I wouldn't do this without you! You guys are awesome, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. ;-)


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